The Zahir - Paulo Coelho

I have heard of The Alchemist almost a million of times. But have never read it. Actually I was not much in reading until one day, I felt that I have got bored of almost all the things occupying my life, so I thought to switch my interests. I went to the oldest and hopefully the only library each member of my family has been to, and took a membership paying for the highest option available. Soon, I started searching for my first book. Its not that I am so detached with books. I have read all the three novels of Chetan Bhagat and The Da Vinci Code, The Last Don. But they are the one of the few books I ever read in my 19 years of lifeterm. So, I would like to term this my first book as in terms of seriousness.
After a lot of searching, I found a book written by a writer I have heard of. Although I didn’t read any of his books, as heard from my guardians, The Alchemist is a must read book. I didn’t get the Alchemist. Since it is a bestseller, you expect it to be always issued. So, I took The Zahir, another novel written by Paulo Coelho. I took the novel because I knew the word, Zahir but in terms of cricket. Nothing beyond that. And this meager relation between the book and me compelled me to take the book. So, as you must have guessed, as the librarian was busy making my cards, I thought to sneek peek through the book. For me, the book’s first impression is definitely the last impression. I find it to hard to read a book if the first 10 pages aren’t sounding interesting.
But the book caught my involvement on the very first place. I studied the first 10 pages, and when I looked the clock and the page number, I got to know that I have already reached the 20th page of the book. And I didn’t stop reading it until my metro reached my destination and I had to change for a bus in which I was standing.
The Zahir, is a story of a novel writer, who doesn’t write novels. I mean that he dreamt of being a novelist, but is satisfied with the small articles and comic-strips he is asked to fill. Until one day, he marries a girl who asks him to follow his dream. With much quarrels and blackmailing, the writer starts his novel which becomes to be a huge hit. But his life changes magnificiently by a series of events. He finds his wife missing one day, probably gone. Then the story describes the search by the person for his wife and for his oneself.

The Zahir doesn’t has any proper definition but as understood by the various lines in which this word is used, it can be termed as a passion, a madness, and a strong feeling for something you like to have. As the story advances, the Zahir increases in the novelist and he tries hard to get back to it.
There are many parts of the story which are based on true spiritualism and philosophy, something which needs a out of the world understanding. As my first book, I enjoyed every part of it because I am myself some kind of philosophist, eager to give speeches and help whenever needed. And those of my friends who know this quality of me, take the full advantage