Veronika Decides to Die

Veronika decides to die... a rather morbid title, don't you think? This is my second Coelho book, having battled with “The Alchemist” some years previously. I just didn't get it at all, despite all the (online) praise.

What did I like about “Veronika”? Coelho is a gifted writer, very able to transport you to another world, in this case, a psychiatric hospital in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Did Coelho need to include himself as a character in the book in the opening few chapters? Not really...

It is in no way a perfect novel, but at its core, it has inspiring messages that many of us could take into our day to day lives, especially with 2018 now on our doorstep and when perhaps many of us have gotten bogged down by winter blues and want a fresh start. Am I likely to revisit this again in the future? Yes.

This book allows the reader to reevaluate the importance of life and that each day is precious... not to be wasted.