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The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho follows Santiago, who has planned to live his whole life as a shepherd, but a surprise visit from a man with tasks for Santiago changes his life forever. This tale about following your dreams and trusting your faith and what the stars have aligned for you has inspired people across the globe to take initiative and fight on in their goals.
Going into this book, because I don’t read blurbs, I was convinced that it was more fantasy/magical based, and less so more of a folklore religious experience that it ended up being. That said, there is still a mystical, greater than life element to this book, but sadly, I was not for it.
This book has been said to change people’s lives, however, I think those people must have a set of pre-existing characteristics that allow for that change to occur. First is that the reader already needs to have faith, a belief in a greater, benevolent power who is shaping our individual lives. The other, and I imagine the most likely situation, is that the reader is currently lost in their lives and are looking towards different books and stories to find their own. This void in someone’s life is very often filled with a belief in a god or superior power. The problem with this type of book - one with a strong, clear message - is it leaves a divide in the audience because there will inevitably be a group of people who are certain of their life/religious beliefs. This is where I found myself. Perhaps if I had read this book a few years ago when I was much more lost in terms of what I wanted out of life, I might have enjoyed it more, but after reading a brutal self-help book (The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck), this book didn’t affect me nearly as much, and certainly didn’t sway me into travelling across the world looking for my destiny. This is merely my current theory, though, so feel free to discuss it with me.
The greatest problem I found with this book is how one-dimensional most of the characters are, mainly because the narrative is plot and message focused and not concerned with character development. Santiago, and those he meets along his journey, have so little substance or quality to them, especially when it comes to life aspirations and the life they want to lead. This is ironic – it seems only Santiago, in reality, has a strong desire to reach his goal, which is also a materialistic one. I was hoping this would have more of a ‘it’s the journey, not the destination’ theme to it, but it just didn’t really, which is a shame.
Lastly, if you would have asked me to guess what year this book was written in, I probably would have said early 1900s, based on the portrayal of women, not 1995. The only female character in this of importance, Fatima, may as well be a rug for Santiago to walk on, because of how utterly submissive and unimportant she is to the overall story. This is also paired with the fact that he appears to fall in love with two women he doesn’t know. (Can you tell I don’t believe in love at first sight?)
Overall, this book will greatly inspire the few and greatly agitate the rest. If you’re in a bad place and loved this book, then I’m glad it could be of help, but the mystical element to the book doesn’t really add much to the already lacklustre storyline, sadly.
Rating: ⭐⭐/5