Paulo Coelho was born in Rio de Janeiro in 1947, has been awarded France's Legion d'Honneur, Italy's Grinzane Cavour and was inducted into the Brazilian Academy of Letters in 2002. "Veronika Decides to Die" is his twelfth book and was first published in 1998.

The story begins in late 1997 and follows the story of Veronika - a twenty four year old woman living in Slovenia. The book begins with her attempted suicide : however, having overdosed on tranquilisers, she is discovered in time and taken to hospital before she dies. The hospital in question is Vilette - a well known asylum in Ljubljana. Although she has survived, she is told - due to the damage the tranquilisers have done to her heart - she only has about a week to live. Having always kept herself firmly under control, Veronika finds herself broadening her range of experiences and feelings, and gradually comes to see her life as something worth living. Her arrival in Vilette also has an impact on some of the asylum's other patients - specifically, Eduard (a schizophrenic), Zedka (who suffers from depression) and Mari (who suffers from panic attacks).

This is an absolutely awful book : rather than "beautiful", "poetic" or "inspiring", I've never found writing so bland. Despite her situation, Coelho finds himself incapable of establishing any empathy with or sympathy for Veronika. In fact, I even think he wrote about the wrong character - Zedka's story, in the hands of an author up to the task, is a story I'd rather have heard. Coelho's decision to include himself in the story stank of ego, and the way that he wrote that section ("Paulo Coelho wanted to know all the details of what had happened" rather than "I wanted to know all the details of what had happened") was nothing short of irritating. The only apparent hobby the patients had - a solitary pastime known to some as 'merchant banking' - was given too high a profile : Veronika's activities on this front were irrelevant and did nothing to help the story. Then again, Coelho has spent some time in an asylum as a patient - perhaps he knows something I don't. (Presumably, this means Mr Coelho is something of a merchant banker himself). Appalling : I will never read anything by this charlatan again.

C.

There's a lot of people who seem to swear by Paulo Coelho - personally, I tend to swear AT Paulo Coelho.

Left beside Wayne.

Although this is not my favourite book ever, I would not slate it quite as much as Mr C from the funky internet cafe in Belfast (thanks for your warm welcome the other week, sir).

It is interesting to see how Veronika's character develops from soneone who sees her future in flat and predictable terms into someone whose life is exciting and unpredictable, purely because she is suddenly aware of living on the edge of death. The central conceit, that we are all a little bit mad but afraid to embrace that madness - living in our own versions of Villette - is a clever one, but sometimes Paulo Coelho is just a little bit too aware of his own cleverness, and it starts to jar.

Also, I did guess that all was not as it seemed, and the revelation at the end was not a surprise. The book is let down by the voices of the characters - their language is often overblown and unconvincing. I also found certain aspects of the female characters irritating and badly drawn.

Veronika Decides to Die does have some potentially beautiful moments, but never quite makes the most of them. The poetry isn't quite good enough I'm afraid...

I am going to lend this book to a friend of mine (hence its reserved status) - I will then ask him to release it into the wild again.

Cheers!

Actually - I will let it go - he doesn't want to read it. Putting it in Costa Coffee, Watford - come find it.....

RELEASE NOTES:

Have moved the book to THE PHONE BOX OPPOSITE ROOSTERS ON THE HIGH STREET because the cafe people didn't want the book lying around - humph!!