The Zahir kept me from my obsession in the last few days. I may have mentioned in my past entries that my favorite Paulo Coelho book would either be The Alchemist or The Witch of Portobello. But after reading The Zahir, my opinion has changed again. I still love those two books and also enjoyed reading Veronika Decides to Die.
The Alchemist was a wake up call for me. The Witch of Portobello helped me accept certain things about myself, my life, and the people who have directly and indirectly made an impact in my life. The Zahir, on the otherhand, was more of a mirror. Not necessarily an exact mirror, but the narrator's and other character's thoughts and experiences are very close to mine.
Here is one of the many unforgettable excerpts in the book:
No one should ever ask themselves that: Why am I unhappy? The question carries within it the virus that will destroy everything. If we ask that question, it means we want to find out what makes us happy. If what makes us happy is different from what we have now, then we must either change once and for all or stay as we are, feeling even more unhappy.
About The Zahir (from the publisher):
The narrator of The Zahir is a bestselling novelist who lives in Paris and enjoys all the privileges money and celebrity bring. His wife of ten years, Esther, is a war correspondent who has disappeared along with a friend, Mikhail, who may or may not be her lover.
Was Esther kidnapped, murdered, or did she simply escape a marriage that left her unfulfilled? The narrator doesn't have any answers, but he has plenty of questions of his own. Then one day Mikhail finds the narrator and promises to reunite him with his wife. In his attempt to recapture a lost love, the narrator discovers something unexpected about himself.
Download theThe Zahir PDF or Browse Inside (Harper Collins):
Reflections on the Zahir and how the other four books relate (may contain spoilers):
Continue reading "The Zahir"
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Rambling Gypsy
