Reviews with content warning for Suicide - Veronika Decides to Die

veronika decides to die to escape the mundanity of her life. she isn’t depressed, or vengeful, or even insane. she is simply attempting to fast track what she believes will be a cyclical life of ennui, towards the one inevitable fate that awaits us all: death. despite her failed attempt, her heart is said to be irreversibly damaged. death is definitively days away, but even that prognosis will not suffice.

she wants to die, but on her own terms.

inspired by paulo coelho’s own life, seen in brief self inserts in which he briefly relays his experience of being institutionalised three time, we follow veronika on a fresh path as she becomes acquainted with her fellow patients. if you’re looking for a plot heavy novel with twists and turns, this might not be it. with her days said to literally be numbered, the characters are the life sustaining breath that keeps us tethered to veronika’s story and her growth appears exponential in wake of the little time she has left.

although it isn’t very plot heavy, it is interesting to see the different perspectives of certain characters, their treatment and the biases and connotations of mental health simply reduced in coelho’s style. the depictions are not necessarily world-bending, but rather a reminder of the views and philosophies that culminate into the pretence that is society. the goals, expectations and desires we squash for the sake of “normalcy”. and the sanctity and tranquility that can be found in detaching from social norms with others who all want the same thing. an escape. from mental illness, from responsibility, and even from life itself. which begs the big question: “what does it mean to be crazy?” when we’re all a little bit mad?

veronika decides to die can simply be described in the words of a random tweet i came across two months ago: “the arc of my 20s is discovering that heartbreak, sadness, and suffering are not that bad. the real enemy is ennui. i’m not afraid of bad local optima, i’m afraid of flat energy landscapes.”

Content Warnings

vicmc_x's review against another edition

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hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

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kindaouttaluck777's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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jhabelita's review against another edition

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medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix

2.0

It was okay. There are nice quotes about life that I liked but nothing much of the plot that made me stick 100%. I just powered through it. Thanks to audiobook!

The story is not all about Veronika's failed suicide, it also tackled Mari's life as a lawyer and a wife and Eduard, a 17-y/o schizophrenic and Veronika's love interest.

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lbita's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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emmentalol's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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demimcclaren's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This is one of the books I believe should be read not for the plot but for the meaning and the journey of it. It was one of the best books I have ever read and I will stand by that forever. Just like every other Paulo Coelho book, it is decorated with literary elements, symbolisms, and poetic reading that will make you fall in love with the experience of it. Even though the plot is not very unique, the relationship between characters, and the character development is so captivating that it keeps you hooked until the end of it. I thought the book actually had a pretty good ending that left me satisfied and wasn’t too dark or depressing hence the title. It is one of the books that even though I was not convinced of everything, it did not matter because it was a great read from beginning to the end was truly life changing. Not surprising in its ending or plot, but absolutely beautiful and poetic.

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jesseanastasia's review against another edition

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hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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