Book Review: Aleph

“Each end gives us the opportunity for a rebirth.”

Entitled as an international bestseller author, Paulo Coelho has marked his return with his most personal novel till date, Aleph, which he frequently calls ‘A journey back to my kingdom’. Being the protagonist himself, Coelho explains about his journey from a simple book signing event in London to a whirlwind detour of five weeks through Africa, Europe and finally to Asia on a train. As always, this time too, he doesn’t fail to inspire his readers with his limpid literature and leaves everyone spell bound when it comes to writing about love, hope and confronting the challenges in life.

Aleph, as described in the book, is the point where time and space converge.

Like the ever loved Santiago, the main character of “The Alchemist”, Paulo too suffers a grave crisis in faith. Successful but discontented writer, Coelho, sets up in a journey to seek a path of spiritual renewal and growth as advised by his mentor, ‘J.’. He decides to begin his life in a new way: to travel, to experiment and to reconnect with the people and the world. Before the day he begins his longest journey ever, he meets Hilal, a violin virtuoso who tags along Paulo’s team throughout the journey. Hilal is in love with Paulo. Paulo experiences “the Aleph” for the first time in Hilal’s eyes in the train and finds out that Hilal is the girl whom he had been in love five hundred years ago in a different incarnation. What follows is the interesting flashback to the medieval era and a description of their unrequited love and how Coelho betrayed Hilal, an act which he describes as his ‘cowardice’. There is Yao, Paulo’s translator in the journey and there are many interesting conversations between the two. During the climax, one is filled with euphoria just by thinking how love finds its way through the impossibilities. The literary luminary and the violin prodigy find peace from the labyrinth of their conflicting past lives as Hilal forgives the author for his betrayal.

The self dialects such as “If I believe I can win then victory will believe in me” and “life is the train, not the station” take us into a greater depth.

The author is successful in evoking ideas and feelings by triggering emotional responses. And in no time, you start creating mental pictures. I’d be off kilter if I don’t mention that there are so many lines in the book that you just can’t help but pause and re-read.

“Dreamers can never be tamed” and “Believe even when no one else believes in you” are some pithy sayings in the book showing certitude that Paulo is an apt to the inspiring world of the literature. ‘Aleph’ is a must read for someone who believes in reincarnation and spiritual awakenings and for those who view life as a journey. But you don’t have to believe in rebirth to enjoy the book.

All in all Aleph is the story of Paulo Coelho, but it’s also the story of each of us who read it. It is one of the best options to assuage the cliché that in spite of the imbroglio, life is a beautiful journey. Paulo, through ‘Aleph’, stands as an incentive to love and forgiveness.

 

P.S.: I received Aleph as a birthday present from my sister. This review earned me second position in Book Review Writing Competition organized by Parikrama. (However I had thought I’d be the first).  Yes, second…yet again.

An old adage reminds me…“Nobody remembers the second”.

This is the third time in the row that I secured second position following second in essay writing competition in Synapse, All Nepal Medical College Meet and second again in essay writing competition organized on the occasion of Loktantra Day. When I shared it to my mom, she so innocently queried, “Who is the one preventing my daughter to get the first position?” and I laughed out loud.