Review - The Zahir

I’m not sure, but it did allow me to see that paradoxical though it may seem, people are happy when they are at war. For them, the world has meaning. As I said before, total power or sacrificing themselves for a cause gives meaning to their lives. They are capable of limitless love, because they no longer have anything to lose. A fatally wounded soldier never asks the medical team “Please save me!” His last words are usually: “Tell my wife & my son that I love them”. At the last moment, they speak of love.

Page 108 ~ The Zahir, Paulo Coelho

21^st May 2006 – I continued my love for Coelho’s works. Have seen this book, the Zahir lying around for quite a while, but for many reasons, I’ve walked away from this ‘journey’. Decided to get it today at Borders ... finally

For every book I read by Coelho, it is a special journey by itself and the Zahir is special in its own way. I never let it out of my mind, as I indulged to complete it within 2 days.

If you ever chance upon this masterpiece, its back cover synopsis gives you a good idea on what it’s about …

“One day a renowned author discovers that his wife, a war correspondent, has disappeared, leaving no trace. Though time brings more success and new love, he remains mystified – and increasingly fascinated – by her absence. Was she kidnapped, blackmailed, or simply bored with their marriage? The unrest she causes is as strong as the attraction she exerts

His search for her – and for the truth of his own life – takes him from South Maerica to Spain, France, Croatia and eventually, the bleakly beautiful landscape of Central Asia. More than that, it leads him into a new understanding of the nature of love, the power of destiny and what it really means to follow your heart.”

The book really grows on you because from the start, the main character starts with question about Esther, his wife, but when searching for her, he found himself & took a journey to understand his path & how it shaped him. This following excerpt will give you an idea about what the story is about, though I shall not reveal to you the ending … and I do recommend this book to you, when you are in search of yourself or even more, the meaning of a relationship if you are in one or entering one.

I hope the book brings you inspiration, hope & thought … Enjoy …

(From page 181)

“Suppose that two firemen go into a forest to put out a small fire. Afterwards, when they emerge and go over to a stream, the face of one is all smeared with black, while the other man’s face is completely clean. My question is this: Which one of the two will wash his face?

That’s a silly question. The one with the dirty face of course.

No, the one with the dirty face will look at the other & assume that he looks like him. And vice versa, the man with the clean face will see his colleague covered in Grime and say to himself: ‘I must be dirty too. I’d better wash’

What are you trying to say? …

… That’s what happened to Esther & I’ve just realized it, remembering now how the look in her eyes changed. I’ve always absorbed her life and her energy, and that made me feel happy and confident, able to go forward. She on the other hand, had looked at me and felt ugly, diminished, because as the years passes, my career – the career she had done so much to make a reality, had relegated our relationship to 2^nd place”