Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Paulo Coelho's Aleph: A Book Review

Paulo Coelho takes his readers to an adventurous journey across Russia through the never ending Trans-Siberian train in his new book, Aleph.

Aleph, as described in the book, is a place of convergence of time and space. The book is an autobiographical account of Paulo's journey to 'rediscover' his spiritual self during the year 2006.

The initial portion of book reminds of The Pilgrimage, Paulo's previous work, where he is talking about a ritual with his Master. The book, however, takes a completely different route in the following chapters.

Aleph is about time-less love. It is about seeking forgiveness and repentance for past mistakes. It is about reincarnation and spiritualism. Aleph is one of the most personal novel written by Paulo Coelho.

Aleph tells the story of Paulo Coelho's magnanimous journey across 3 continents in 6 months in search of spiritual growth. It reflects upon Paulo's life as a writer and how the matters are arranged with his publishers worldwide. It tells the role of Yao- Paulo's translator during the journey, in assisting Paulo's search for spiritual peace. It tells the story of Hilal and her relationship with Paulo- a relationship that lasts for centuries.

If Alchemist was too much fiction and The Pilgrimage was too much spiritualism for you, The Aleph is a blend of everything which makes it one of the finest work of Paulo till date. Highly recommended.