Veronika decides to die

I really enjoyed reading "Veronika decides to die", though the book was a little bit on the short side, just 191 pages. Nevertheless the story was told in an amazing way and was spellbinding. The book raises questions like "What is 'normal'? What does it mean do be 'mad'? Aren't we all mad? What is it worth living for?" etc. Throughout the book a doctor working at a hospital for mentally-ill people develops a theory about what makes people unhappy about their life and what might be a solution to that problem. Though it is a little bit confusing at the beginning the examples he gives aren't fiction at all but drawn from reality. I wouldn't consider myself mad, insane or suicidal or anything but still I could identify with some of the aspects of his theory. There were moments while reading where I just was like:"Jepp, that's so true." or "I've experienced something similar." The book really gets you to think about your life and your desires. And it is somewhat consoling, to know that everybody is kind of mad to a certain degree :) though probably nobody would ever admit that. I highly recommend that book, and with less than 200 pages it is definitely not too much even for someone who isn't that much into reading.

As you might guess I'm already on my way with the next book. It's "Memoirs of a Geisha" by Arthur Golden. And as I love everything Japanese-related I'm pretty sure this will turn out a great read!

: 19 Feb 2008 13:51 |  Tags: Book Coelho |  Comments (0) |  Report a problem