It is the story of an extra ordinary girl who has everything but she finds nothing worth living. She thinks out of the box and is tired of living a monotonous life. She then takes a handful of sleeping pills wishing she never gets to see one more day of her life.

Veronica Decides to Die

By Paulo Coelho

Veronica decides to die is one of the best works of the bestselling modern author, Paulo Coelho. As depressing and morbid the title is, once you finish the story you will find out that there is lot more to the story. It’s not a story of an insane girl who attempts to kill herself. It is the story of an extra ordinary girl who has everything but she finds nothing worth living. She thinks out of the box and is tired of living a monotonous life. She then takes a handful of sleeping pills wishing she never gets to see one more day of her life.

Veronica is a twenty-four year old girl who has an ideal life. She has a happy childhood, loving parent, steady job, beautiful house and a stable boyfriend but every time she thinks about her life she finds something missing. She always tries to find the reason why she feels an emptiness in her life. She never gets an answer, at last one day she decides to end her life by taking an overdose of sleeping pills. Her wish never gets fulfilled as she found herself in a mental asylum in the aftermath. Her attempted suicide becomes a failure. In the infamous Villette mental hospital, she unwilling makes some friend and finds her passion for piano again. Her piano playing brings out a positive vibe in the weary atmosphere of the hospital. Others join her to rediscover their soul.

She meets two amazing people there, Mari, who is suffering from panic attacks and a diagnosed schizophrenic, Eduard. Seeing the people in the hospital, she is forced to question her perception about insanity. Also, she learns from Dr. Igor that she has only few days to live as her heart becomes weak due to attempted suicide. Veronica’s supposed death sentence brings her back to the reality and she reacquires her desire to live and love. In her journey, her frequent heart attacks becomes the biggest hindrance.

This is a book in which Coelho has modelled a character after himself. If you have read about his life, you might have known that in his early age, he has been sent to asylum. His family always wanted him to be an engineer but he longed to be an artist. When he tried doing things differently, people labelled him as insane. Anyway he finds his way out of the hurdles and starts to write, the rest is history. In this novel, Coelho describes the fine line between sanity and insanity in a very precise way. After reading this novel, you will find yourself pondering that how apathy and powerlessness tempt a person to commit suicide. Sometimes, the people whom we call insane are just the people who thinks differently. Like his every novel, Coelho has maintained a balance between philosophy and religion throughout the story.

I liked the way author has answered the most fundamental questions of life like: What is different today that was not there yesterday, why do we need to keep on living?  With every patient of the Villette hospital, Coelho has described the heart of human existence.

This novel is about the story of Veronica, a girl at the crossroads of depression and liberation. It is the tale of people’s belief in miracles and an enthusiastic, poetic appreciation of each day as a renewed chance. I would recommend this book for each person who don’t appreciate their life or are drawn to the dark thoughts. With the intense journey of self-discovery of Veronica, where she is exposed to the different emotions of life like fear, love, hope and sexual awakening, you will find a new perception of life.