The Winner Stands Alone by Paulo Coelho; Just A thriller or something more?

through the course of our lives, we all let our dreams be manipulated one way or another. this book revolves around the people who cross great lengths to chase their dreams. in the preface, Author quotes that; 

                 "This is not a thriller, but a stark portrait of where we are now"

In the beginning, I disagreed with the author's idea of not calling it a thriller but as I reached the end my mind was changed. Paulo is famous for his spiritual insights on every aspect he writes about and in this book, we will see an extreme face of manipulation and fame lust. Though the story is about superclass, characters are insanely relatable. Going through the dirt of society, you'll get to confront your own demons too. And if I take the liberty to Quote Sith Lord, 

                                               "Welcome to the dark side". 

ABOUT THE BOOK: 

Igor, a Russian millionaire who thinks killing poor and needy is a kind of mercy is abandoned by his wife Ewa, who he loves the most. He goes on the mission of killing more people to show her the extent of his love. Every time he kills someone he sends his ex-wife a text. Ewa, who is now with a successful designer Hamid doesn't respond to any of his messages because she is scared of him. Her response makes him rethink his mission. His path crosses with an aspiring actress Gabriella who is also in a career crisis and thinks that fame and fortune are the ends of everything. With time she confronts the harsh reality of the glamour world once introduced into it. We see a model Jasmine who is a teenager and she is also struggling to discover the meaning of life, a director who is so eager to make contacts that she forgets to distinguish right from wrong. all these characters are on a different journey but are linked through the fashion festival at Cannes. In Igor's justification of his wrongdoings, we see the ugliest part of ourselves, in Ewa's fears we see how simple things can destroy us, in Gabriella's lust for fame and money we see what are our success standards as a society. this story shows us the real values modern society believes in.

MY THOUGHTS: 

I found this book a lot different from Paulo's other books but it also didn't fail to blow my mind. firstly, like I said earlier,  the characters are very relatable on a spiritual level. We all feel the desire to be 

famous, to be rich, to be powerful, so you will see your own face in them. And even if we are not specifically calling it a thriller, the story is exhilarating. The killing techniques used by Igor are enough to give you goosebumps. Usually, this kind of character is portraited as a psychopath but not Igor. He is emotionally stable and a strong character. You can never guess how the story will end and of course, I won't spoil it for you but I can assure you one thing; you will gain an insight on true values and how power is not worth being craved. you will have a clearer picture of where should our mindset as individuals and as a society stand. so, Go for it, a great mystery awaits you. 

MY FAVORITE LINES FROM THE BOOK: 

"Despair can deceive the desperate" 

 Paulo Coelho, The winner stands alone 

"Don't run child! you'll never escape the two most important presences in the life of any human being: God and Death" 

Paulo Coelho, The winner stands alone

"We must love because we are loved by God. we must be conscious of death if we are to have a proper understanding of life. we must struggle in order to grow but without falling into the trap of the power we gain through that struggle because we know that such power is worthless. finally, we must accept that our eternal soul is at this moment caught  in the web of time with all its opportunities and its limitations"

Paulo Coelho, The winner stands alone

"Total power means total slavery. when you get that far, you don't even want to give it up. there's always a new mountain to climb. there is always a competitor to be convinced or crushed" 

Paulo Coelho, The winner stands alone. 

"Life has many ways of testing a person's will, either by having nothing happen at all or everything happens all at once" 

Paulo Coelho, The winner stands alone 

"If you love someone, you must be prepared to set them free" 

Paulo Coelho, The winner stands alone.