Here’s the perfect thriller that you’ll want to read all the way to the last page.
Whether you’re a self-proclaimed bookworm or find yourself absorbing nothing after reading 10 pages straight, this book will definitely capture your attention. It’s called The Winner Stands Alone and is written by Paulo Coelho, the same author who wrote the bestseller, The Alchemist.
Coelho is known for his philosophical style of writing. He spins the storyline in a way that draws the reader in so they fall headfirst into the ocean of his well-crafted words and ideas. The Winner Stands Alone is no different: every page serves as a passage to the next and you can’t resist walking through it.
The book is a psychological thriller with just the right mix of drama and mystery. It is about an excessively rich and quite powerful Russian Businessman, Igor, who travels all the way to France to try and win back his wife, Ewa, who has left him for a fashion magnate, Hamid. The book is set in Cannes during the time of the year when it is home to the very famous annual film festival, making the plot even more interesting. The concept of Igor’s thirst to ‘destroy universes’ if his own ideal future does not become reality serves as the foundation of the book.
This book provides us with several glimpses into the world of the ultra-powerful: the struggles and the secrets, and the fact that everything that shines from the outside has darkness beneath it. While the book gets a little intense sometimes, it has a cheeky undertone to it, as Coehlo seems to be mocking every single one of the characters and their chosen ways of living. I personally loved the way Coelho allows the readers to place themselves in Igor’s headspace to try and make sense of what is happening through his thoughts. The plot revolves around the lives of multiple individuals but mainly focuses on their interactions with Igor, however brief they might be. In an attempt to not reveal too much, I can only say that something I learned from the book is that every action matters. Whether we realize it or not, every action has a reaction, and whether it’s good, tragic, or something in between there is no escaping it.
The best kind of books are the ones that leave you with a lot to think about even after they are over. They become a part of the readers’ consciousness until every concept involved has been fully grasped by their minds. These new-found ideas can then be incorporated into making one’s life better. Sometimes, these books might even lead us to discoveries about our own selves and the way we approach different situations. Thus, books are an excellent tool for self-exploration as well as gaining that extra piece of information about this world you might not have encountered otherwise.
So next weekend, when you find yourself getting bored of those massive textbooks and online notes, pick up this book to relax and hopefully, get some insight into a world where nothing seems to be the way it is.