Veronika Decides to Die by Paulo Coelho (1998)

Twenty-four-year-old Veronika seems to have everything - youth and beauty, boyfriends and a loving family, a fulfilling job. But something is missing in her life. So, one cold November morning, she takes a handful of sleeping pills expecting never to wake up. But she does - at a mental hospital - where she is told that she has only days to live.

Inspired by events in Coelho’s own life, Veronika Decides to Die questions the meaning of madness and celebrates individuals who do not fit into patterns society considers to be normal.

Author: Paulo Coelho, was born in Rio de Janeiro in 1947. He is one of the best-selling and most influential authors in the world. He writes great books and became known worldwide thanks to “The Alchemist” which was on the New York Times bestseller list for many months. His books have been translated into 80 languages and sold in more than 168 countries. Paulo Coelho has been a member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters since 2002, and, in 2007, he was appointed United Nations Messenger of Peace. He is also the most followed author on social media.

Paulo Coelho lives in Switzerland and my dear friend F. (who follows my blog) met him through his job and has had all of his Paulo Coelho's books signed by the author, with whom he has become acquainted. Some people are really lucky.  Seriously!

My thoughts: I read this book in August in the original version which I bought during the summer holidays at the Lisbon Book Fair... I could not rest until I had read it. Yes, I love Paulo Coelho and recommend that you discover his literary works.
I found this book surprisingly fresh and full of hilarious passages of humour, all the more so as the theme of the book is suicide. This is the story of Veronika, a young Slovenian librarian who rents a room in a convent in front of Ljubljana Square. Tired of her monotonous, empty and meaningless life, one day Veronika decides to commit suicide with sleeping pills, but fails. She wakes up in a mental asylum named Villete, a place from which no one had ever escaped, famous for its abuse and ill-treatment of patients. The institution was full of a mix of genuinely insane patients, sent there by the courts or by other hospitals, people accused of madness and those who feigned insanity.

In this hospital, we find endearing characters: Dr. Igor, who dyes his hair and moustache black and wants to discover a cure for madness that will bring him medical recognition and success. Mari, the mature white haired lawyer, who is part of the “Fraternidade” (Brotherhood). Eduard, a young and handsome schizophrenic who likes to listen to Veronika playing the piano. Zedka, who is Veronika's best friend at the sanatorium....But I'll stop here... suspense... Will she regain her health? Will she live? Will she find the joy of living once out of this place? This is a rather spiritual and wise story.