I bought this book back in 2008 when I was living in Dumaguete, Philippines. A friend referred this book to me and said it was great. Without even getting the gist of the book, I bought it. I am easily attracted to book covers and titles and have found the best books by just simply buying a book whose cover I liked. So there I was with the book and since I already read The Alchemist by Paulo and Veronica Decides to Die, it was time to read my third book written by Paulo Coelho.
The time during which I read the book was sort of a break-up make up time with my boyfriend back in '08. Needless to say he is my ex now. Anyways, I didn't expect anything from this book and gained so much out of it. The first few phrases were kinda boring to me, but I moved on because I knew that Paulo's books were alway a little slow in the beginning for me.
The story is about a husband whose wife's gone missing. He is an author and she is a war journalist. He didn't hear from her for months and started getting worried. He realized how lonely he was and how much he needed her to be happy. One day a mysterious fellow from the middle east came to see him and told him that he knew where his wife was, but that he (the lead character) wasn't ready yet to receive the information. So this quest of obsession began. His quest was to himself and to being happy by himself and to love himself. Once he had overcome himself, he received the info he needed to find his wife and still, he delayed the journey because he didn't think it was necessary to find her right at that moment. Then he embarges on the trip where he would trace her footsteps and get to know the people she met along her way. When he finally found her she embraced him and was pregnant by another men, which he accepted because he was free of his obsession and jealousy. In the end only happiness remained. Happy ending and end of story.
The whole journey of the man to himself sort of reflected what I was going through that time. I used to depend on other people so much to make me happy and never sought the happiness in myself. I was stuck in the typical urban legend that you are waiting for your fairy tale prince to come and MAKE you happy. Well no one made me happy in the end but me. Of course, like every other girl, I emerged with lakes of tears from this book and it somehow changed my life for the better. I understood myself so much better. I understood relationships so much better, and I understood my situation then so much better. Paulo Coelho has this way of touching your heart and more importantly your soul. I wish that I will be as wise and patient and of course happy as he is.
"No one should ever ask themselves that: why am I unhappy? The question carries within it the virus that will destroy everything. If we ask that question, it means we want to find out what makes us happy. If what makes us happy is different from what we have now, then we must either change once and for all or stay as we are, feeling even more unhappy."
Yours truly
CC
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