Spirituality with a bit of a thrill

Published by: Harper Collins
Price: Rs 325
Classification: Fiction

The popular author of The Alchemist comes up with yet another bestseller, in the same genre as his usual fiction-with-a-moral. With the Cannes Film Festival as a backdrop, in The Winner Stands Alone Paul Coelho weaves together the lives of four individuals who are each driven by passion, obsession, greed and ambition.

Igo Malev is on a quest to bring back his errant wife who left him for a wealthy designer. Unable to come to terms with her desertion, he is intent on winning her back -- even if it means destroying the world around him. Simultaneously, the book also delves into the parallel stories of three other individuals, equally fiercely determined to prove something to themselves and to society.

The author’s focus is on the shallowness and superficiality of the glamorous and glitzy world of showbiz. He delves deep into the human psyche and lays bare its complexities in an interesting manner. It makes one introspect and realise the subjective nature of moral values: what one person considers right and proper may well be considered extremely wrong and immoral by others.

This novel is bound to appeal to all readers whose interests extend beyond the material to the spiritual. Its eccentric portrayal of relationships and human behaviour and the thriller style of narration are also likely to evoke interest since this is a bit different from Coelho’s usual style.

At the same time, one cannot eliminate the possibility of a few raised eyebrows or frowns from the ‘super class’ that the author mentions in this book with a tinge of sarcasm. That this does not deter the masses from buying The Winner Stands Alone is evident from the fact that the book has been topping the charts at most booksellers in India.