Veronica decides to die

Paulo Coelho raises fundamental questions in this novel that millions of people repeat daily: "What do I do in my life? And why do I continue to live?" Veronica: a young girl at the age of twenty-four, who possesses everything one could wish for: youth and beauty, handsome lovers, a comfortable job, a loving family. However, there is a deep emptiness inside her that cannot be filled. Therefore, she decided to die by suicide on November 11, 1997, taking sleeping pills, expecting she would never wake up again. Veronica is shocked when she opens her eyes in a mental hospital, where she is told she survived the lethal dose, but her heart has suffered a fatal damage, and she will only live a few days. After this incident, the novel delves deeply into describing the life Veronica lived, believing it would be her last days in life. During this period, Veronica discovers herself, experiencing feelings she had never allowed herself to be overwhelmed by: resentment, fear, curiosity, love, desire. She also discovers that every moment of her existence is a choice between life and death, until in her final moments, she becomes more eager to live than ever before. In this novel, Paulo Coelho takes us on a journey to explore what it means for a culture to hide its light behind shadows of anxiety and weakening routine. While questioning the meaning of madness, he glorifies the individual whom society considers to be deviant. It is a powerful image of a young woman standing at the crossroads of despair and liberation; she is filled, with vibrant poeticism, with the feeling that each new day is a renewed opportunity for life.