2 min read

·

Mar 22, 2025

I recently finished Paulo Coelho’s book “Veronika Decides to Die.” The book reflects Paulo’s writing style that draws you into a profound journey and exploration of life. This book does so through the lens of comparison between sanity and insanity, and it ended with me inspired to commit to my own insanity for the rest of my life, starting with me embodying the woman I want to be, the future me living my vision.

In addition to the novel, the book includes an excerpt about the author and what inspired the writing of this story, which is based on his own life, but explored “from his feminine ego,” an amazing quality that he and other favorite male authors of mine have, who can so poignantly capture and share the female perspective through their writing. (In fact, a sexual experience the main character has with herself was so moving to me, I was encouraged to examine my own thoughts about what I may deem “forbidden” or on what I have not allowed myself to dwell.) In reading these additional sections at the end of the book, I learned that Paulo Coelho did not start writing his first book until he was 38! Constantly struggling to find his place in the world and acknowledging that as long as he was capable of functioning “normally” in society (for example, showing up to work on time and staying for all 8 hours of your work day no matter what your life looks like outside of those hours), he was able to spend a painstaking existence (until writing that first work) trapped between his reality and his dream. Being introduced to both the author’s and the main character’s perspectives on sanity, or normal daily life, versus insanity was a ride I did not know I’d be taking, twice. Often feeling a similar internal incongruence around my own work-life situation as Paulo mentions in the additional information sections following the novel, I have not stopped reflecting and, honestly, feeling through this perspective.

Finish reading on Substack: https://open.substack.com/pub/desireemanuela/p/achieving-insanity?r=3kxun3&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true