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A review by theesotericcamel
The Zahir: A Novel of Obsession by Paulo Coelho
3.0
This was my first Coelho book and I have to admit that it was enjoyable, if a little simplistically written. The book clearly aims to inspire its readers with an emotional and spiritual message. This message seems to be about finding a way to really live one's life truthfully, and about finding happiness in unexpected places. I can see why it is a popular read. His style is unadorned and his story is uncomplicated, making the plot ans characters easy to follow, and lending itself well to translations into other languages.
I myself had a hard time relating to the characters who were either really rich and glamourous (and unhappy) or poor, confrontational, and purposely living on the fringes. There were no everyman characters. (Indeed, we're all supposed to always have the power to choose our circumstances apparently.) Despite this, It was clear that the message was meant to be universal, applicable to anyone. And the message was a positive one that tugged on the heartstrings. But It is hard to swallow coming from a character who has the financial means to just get up and go whenever and wherever he wants.
The main character, although he is never named, was also clearly based on Paolo Coelho himself too. The parallels were obvious even though I had never read a book by him before. It was interesting to see that despite Coelho's reputation for writing inspirational works, he presented himself (or rather the character in this story anyway) as being materialistic and egotistical. In short, as just another celebrity... That is, until he manages to complete his transformative journey.
Also, despite the description on the back of the book mentioning a journey through many countries, we barely get any description of the locales. The international author character goes to these places as a matter of course. His job takes him there. The journey described in the book was more of an internal one, where the author reevaluates his values to discover what is truly important. But that doesn't sound as exciting, nor will it help to sell the book.
I myself had a hard time relating to the characters who were either really rich and glamourous (and unhappy) or poor, confrontational, and purposely living on the fringes. There were no everyman characters. (Indeed, we're all supposed to always have the power to choose our circumstances apparently.) Despite this, It was clear that the message was meant to be universal, applicable to anyone. And the message was a positive one that tugged on the heartstrings. But It is hard to swallow coming from a character who has the financial means to just get up and go whenever and wherever he wants.
The main character, although he is never named, was also clearly based on Paolo Coelho himself too. The parallels were obvious even though I had never read a book by him before. It was interesting to see that despite Coelho's reputation for writing inspirational works, he presented himself (or rather the character in this story anyway) as being materialistic and egotistical. In short, as just another celebrity... That is, until he manages to complete his transformative journey.
Also, despite the description on the back of the book mentioning a journey through many countries, we barely get any description of the locales. The international author character goes to these places as a matter of course. His job takes him there. The journey described in the book was more of an internal one, where the author reevaluates his values to discover what is truly important. But that doesn't sound as exciting, nor will it help to sell the book.