The Zahir by Paulo Coelho

Synopsis

Set in Paris and in the enchanting landscape of central Asia, this new novel by the author of the international bestsellers The Alchemist and Eleven Minutes follows the journey of a man obsessed with finding the wife who left him without an explanation.

The narrator of The Zahir is a bestselling novelist who lives in Paris and enjoys all the privileges that money and celebrity bring. His wife of ten years, Esther, is a war correspondent who, despite her professional success and freedom from the conventional constraints of marriage, is facing an existential crisis. When she disappears along with a friend, Mikhail, who may or may not be her lover, the authorities question the narrator. Was Esther kidnapped, killed, or did she simply abandon a marriage that left her unfulfilled? The narrator doesn't have any answers but he has plenty of questions of his own.

Then one day Mikhail, the man with whom Esther was last seen, finds the narrator and promises to take him to his wife. In his attempt to recapture a love lost, the narrator discovers something unexpected about himself.

A haunting and redemptive story about the dark side of obsession, The Zahir explores its potential to both fulfill our dreams and to destroy them. It is also a thoughtful meditation on faith, celebrity, marriage -- and their relationships to freedom and creativity.

This book has what so many novels have lacked in so many ways. Being an avid reader and in search for books that not only tell a great story but leaves me feeling I have gained in a way, my own self...The Zahir was so fulfilling. I've read several other books by Mr. Coelho including his prized The Alchemist, and I must say this book ranked right up there with it all. Reading this book, I felt such intense sadness--unexplainable...hollow...emptiness...loss--as I have also felt the reward of finally beginning to SEE the problems around us, the change and taking a life that is ours in our own hands. I loved it. And I would recommend everyone to experience what life is like when we've reached the end of one chapter in life...and finding the courage to start a new one.

Download The Zahir here