I managed to grab a copy of Veronika Decides to Die from a bookstore in Colombo, during my trip back home last June. The summary behind the cover grabbed my eye. About, how a failed attempt to suicide changed a person. The book is written by Paulo Coelho. The author who got famous for the book The Alchemist, another amazing read.
The story starts off with describing in detail why Veronika wants to die, and why it's not because she is depressed or because she is suffering from any other usual condition that drives people to suicide. There is a bit of dark humor that keeps the story vibrant during these scenes. Also, describes how similar most of our lives are in terms of how we have conditioned our selves to behave in a socially acceptable way.
With the failed suicide attempt, Veronika gets a deadline to live. Making her days count, the story unfolds incidents that happen around Veronika that doubts her own choices made to take her life.
It's amazing how she sees the world differently every single day she gets to live her life. She reflects on the decisions she made all these years were just to please those around her and the world. These scenes remind me of how our lives are immersed with the spotlight effect forcing us to behave to adhere to social norms to feel accepted.
The life in the asylum in Villet, and the fraternity and their stories give us a glimpse of why people would like to stay crazy so they can stop pleasing those around us and behave as how we're intended to, like toddlers who don't give a dime about what's going on around them, they just live the moment and enjoy life as it is.
Overall, the story has some really insightful incidents and stories of the characters. You might even be able to relate to some of the incidents, and sometimes, wish that you were crazy so you can, not give a f*ck about what society and the world think and enjoy life for what it is.
Here is a link to anyone who wants to grab a copy.
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