She does not want to leave the clinic alive.

Veronika reflected on how her life would likely unfold - getting her job back, having unfulfilling relationships, marrying someone she didn't love, having children and slowly growing unhappy and overweight. She vowed not to leave the hospital alive, determined to end her life while she was still brave and healthy enough. As Veronika drifted in and out of consciousness, she noticed the machines and nurses changing frequently. She overheard crying, groans, and hushed voices outside her curtained area. When a nurse asked how she was, Veronika said it had nothing to do with her physical condition, but rather the state of her soul. Resolved in her plan to die, she ignored the nurse's attempts to talk further.

Veronika meets Zedka, who tells her a story which made her realise: She had tried to be normal and it led her to want to die.

Veronika had heart damage from the overdose and was told she only had about a week left to live. Upset about having to wait for death, Veronika tried to figure out how to escape and get more pills to end her life sooner. In the ward, she met a patient named Zedka, who didn't seem crazy at all. Zedka told Veronika a story about how a king was thought mad when he was the only sane one, because everyone else had drunk from a poisoned well. Zedka explained that what's considered "normal" is just what most people do. Veronika admitted she had tried to be normal and it led her to want to die. Zedka pointed out Veronika's impending death and offered to help her get pills. Veronika asked for Zedka's help to die sooner than the week she had left. Before Zedka could respond, a nurse came to give Veronika an injection, ending their conversation for the night.

Veronika adjusts to mental hospital life, grappling with control and acceptance.

Veronika experienced her first typical days in the mental hospital. After having breakfast with the other patients, they went outside to get some fresh air despite the freezing temperatures. The atmosphere was noticeably calm, not chaotic like the scenes often depicted in films. Veronika tried stimulating her memory and planning an escape, but the high, well-guarded walls made it impossible. Her new friend Zedka told her about a group called the Fraternity. These patients could leave the hospital but chose to stay, pretending to be dangerous to receive certain benefits. Zedka advised her to ask an older member named Mari for some pills. However, when Veronika approached Mari's group, they mocked her, leaving her upset. Reflecting on her reaction, she realized she had started overreacting to minor issues, which was different from how she used to be. Determined not to depend on the group's help, Veronika did something bold: she slapped the leader, shocking everyone. She adapted to the hospital's routine to make her remaining days pass quickly. Her heart grew weaker but she felt peaceful about her fate. One day, she watched Zedka undergo insulin shock therapy, entering an induced coma. Veronika was horrified but powerless to stop the outdated treatment.

Zedka learned astral projection through psychiatric treatment, finding freedom and insight.

During her treatment with insulin shock therapy, Zedka discovered an unusual ability: separating her soul from her body and wandering the hospital in spirit form. Initially, she was terrified, mistaking the experience for ghost sightings. However, by reading about the occult, she learned this phenomenon was known as "astral projection", a real experience shared by others. With practice, Zedka learned to control her astral journeys and began to cherish the freedom of moving without physical limitations. She no longer feared the other beings she encountered in the astral realm, thanks to her readings. One day, while in her spirit form, she eavesdropped on a conversation between Dr. Igor and the hospital director and discovered it would be her last insulin treatment. While she had grown fond of the asylum's accepting environment, the prospect of returning home excited her. On her final astral journey within the hospital, Zedka stayed to bid farewell. Letting go of the freedom found in her madness was challenging, but she longed to reunite with her husband and children, confident she could continue her astral travels at home. Reflecting on her past, she realized her breakdown stemmed from an obsession with a lost love. As the nurse administered the insulin, Zedka's spirit rejoined her body, and she resolved to move forward. She shared with Veronika, a fellow patient, that madness often feels like an inability to communicate, yet everyone harbors a touch of insanity.

At Villete, Veronika began to explore different aspects of her personality that she had suppressed.

During her stay, Veronika reflects on her life and recognized numerous regrets. Although others saw her as independent and successful, she felt deeply lonely and unfulfilled. At Villete, Veronika began to explore different aspects of her personality that she had suppressed. She allowed herself to feel emotions like hatred for the first time and rediscovered her love for music, playing the piano with passion. These revelations allowed her to experience parts of herself she had long ignored. Veronika's mother visited her at the hospital, overwhelmed with distress about her daughter's suicide attempt. The hospital director, Dr. Igor, reassured Veronika's mother, explaining that she was not to blame for Veronika's actions. According to Dr. Igor, people often become mentally ill when they try to escape the monotony of routine. After this philosophical discourse, he permitted Veronika's mother to visit her, offering a chance for reconnection and understanding. Through these experiences, Veronika began to navigate her complex emotions and desires, moving towards a more authentic and fulfilling life.

Veronika meets Dr. Igor who is telling her about a substance called Vitriol that poisons people's souls.

Veronika had a terrifying episode where she couldn't breathe and thought she was dying. The doctors stabilized her. Dr. Igor examined Veronika and lied that she could live to be 100 years old. Veronika realized he was just trying to calm her. She asked Dr. Igor about schizophrenia. He explained schizophrenics create their own reality that departs from what society deems normal. He gave the example of how a schizophrenic would view his necktie as useless while most people would just call it a tie. What matters is not what's logical but what supports society's desires. Dr. Igor had discovered a substance he called Vitriol that poisons people's souls when they're afraid of reality and construct defensive walls against the outside world. It gradually destroys their will to live. The embittered fascinate heroes and madmen who aren't afraid of life or death. Dr. Igor wanted to prove Vitriol can be cured like Dr. Freud proved psychoanalysis can treat problems caused by libido. But he knew his ideas would face resistance from "normal" people and the mental health industry profiting off the "sick." Veronika interrupted his thoughts, and he dismissed her, saying she could leave.

Though resigned to dying, Veronika was drawn into experiences at Villete that reawakened her emotions.

As a kid, Veronika had a dream of becoming a professional pianist, but her mother discouraged it, wanting her to have a more practical career. Though talented, Veronika studied law and became a librarian. Later realizing she had not pursued her passion, she fell into despair, landing her in Villete, a mental institution. There Veronika met a diverse group of people, including Eduard, a kind schizophrenic, and Mari, a former lawyer. Though resigned to dying, Veronika was drawn into experiences at Villete that reawakened her emotions - fear, curiosity, and the desire to live. A chance encounter brought her to a meeting of the "Fraternity," Villete residents investigating spiritual practices. She observed a Sufi meditation session that encouraged self-reflection. It left her considering how little she knew herself and her own desires. Meanwhile, Mari, who had panic attacks that brought her to Villete, reflected on life inside and outside the institution. She felt society's rules and laws had become an obstacle to fulfillment. Villete's anarchy was better, though Veronika's renewed will to live was touching the inmates, making some question their own lives. Mari decided not to discourage this, letting matters take their course. She knew Veronika's fate was sealed, but her presence was a gift awakening others to appreciate the value of their own lives.

Mari, struggling with panic disorder, chose indefinite hospitalization over her strained marriage.

Veronika paused her piano playing and looked at Mari standing in the garden, wearing only a light jacket despite the cold. Unlike Veronika, Mari had never contemplated ending her life. Years earlier, Mari had decided to leave her career in law to volunteer for humanitarian causes after watching a poignant film about poverty. One day at a movie theater, Mari experienced a sudden, intense heart racing and feared she might die, similar to her friend who had suffered an aneurysm at the same venue. Her husband helped her outside, where she temporarily felt better in the cold air. However, once home, Mari's panic attacks continued. These episodes came with overwhelming fear, a sense of displacement, and a lack of control. Mari took medical leave and underwent various tests, but doctors found no physical issues. As her panic attacks worsened, they began to strain her marriage. A colleague recommended a new psychiatric hospital. The director there diagnosed Mari with panic disorder and prescribed medication. Seeking a break from her troubled marriage, Mari chose to stay at the hospital as a patient. When her colleague visited, he suggested she should consider retirement after her hospitalization. Determined to rebuild her self-esteem through her work, Mari requested a brief return to her job before retiring. However, not long after, her husband sent her divorce papers via another lawyer. Feeling crushed, Mari lied about her symptoms worsening, choosing to remain hospitalized indefinitely.

Though close to death, Veronika was beginning to understand love and meaning by bonding with Eduard and exploring her sexuality.

Initially desperate about her impending death, Veronika gradually became more accepting and determined to make the most of her final days. She connected deeply with Eduard, a schizophrenic patient, through music. One night she played piano for him with great passion and then masturbated in front of him, exploring her sexuality in a liberating way. The next day, after witnessing Eduard undergo traumatic electric shock treatment, Veronika had another heart episode but refused to stop sitting vigil by his bedside. Zedka, a formerly depressed patient, told Veronika that choosing to stay with Eduard in his time of need was an act of love. As Zedka left Villete, cured and embracing life's madness, she urged Veronika to live fully, saying she had nothing left to lose. Though close to death, Veronika was beginning to understand love and meaning.

Dr. Igor's experiments and philosophical dialogue highlight the complexities of mental health.

Dr. Igor was deeply immersed in experiments to find a cure for vitriol poisoning. He tried to keep a scientific detachment but couldn't hide his excitement. His patient Mari joined him, seeking his opinion on an electric shock treatment recently administered to their patient, Eduard. Dr. Igor clarified that it was now called electroconvulsive therapy. Though it once had a dangerous reputation, modern techniques made it precise and beneficial, such as quickly inducing amnesia. Despite Igor's reassurances, Mari remained cautious. Changing the subject, Mari wondered if she was well enough to leave the hospital. Dr. Igor asked what she truly wanted to be cured of, explaining that illnesses often arise when people try to conform instead of embracing their uniqueness. He compared this to typists who accept the inefficient QWERTY keyboard or clocks in Florence designed to run backward—examples of people blindly following norms without questioning them. He concluded that Mari was not cured but had lost her enthusiasm for life. Mari confessed she felt soulless, trapped by clinging to the past and missing new opportunities. Inspired by hearing Veronika, a terminally ill girl play the piano with deep emotion, Mari decided to rediscover her own soul. She chose to work with children in war-torn Sarajevo, determined to play the music of her life with passion. Dr. Igor acknowledged her improvement but cautioned her recovery was ongoing. After Mari left, Igor struggled to maintain his detachment, recognizing that Villete would miss her presence. Meanwhile, Eduard awoke from the electric shock confused but recognized the girl at his bedside, who spoke of visions he had shared. Though ordered to leave and take medication, the girl refused. After being sedated, they walked outside, and Eduard shared his need to look beyond Villete's walls to extreme landscapes, hoping to find his visions of paradise.

Eduard's artistic dreams clashed with parental expectations, causing a breakdown.

Eduard, at 17, was the son of a Yugoslavian ambassador living in Brasilia. Struggling with his wealthy, diplomatic peers, he felt deeply unhappy. His life took a dramatic turn after a serious bicycle accident. During his recovery in the hospital, a book about visionaries inspired him to become a painter. Despite his parents' disapproval, Eduard decided to quit school and focus solely on painting. He soon found himself among new bohemian friends, raising concerns for his parents who feared he might be involved in drugs. The tension between Eduard and his parents grew. His father eventually persuaded him to abandon painting and return to his studies, appealing to Eduard's love for his family. Eduard tried to comply but realized he had committed too fully to his artistic path. This left him in a state of limbo, leading to a mental breakdown. The upheaval in Yugoslavia forced his parents to return home, leaving Eduard in the Villete hospital. Years later, Eduard shared his story with Veronika, a fellow patient who was nearing the end of her life. Through their conversations, Veronika helped Eduard understand how his parents' love, although well-intentioned, had almost destroyed him. As Veronika prepared for her final moments, she asked Eduard to stay with her. In a gesture of compassion, Eduard offered to take her to the mountains so she could have a peaceful final view. This profound act of kindness reignited his sense of purpose, and Eduard felt alive once more, ready to rediscover his lost visions of paradise.

A psychiatric hospital group's routine is shaken by departures and introspection.

One evening at supper, four individuals were noticeably absent from the group at the Villete psychiatric hospital. Zedka had been discharged after completing her treatment. Mari, a regular cinema-goer, was probably at the movies. Eduard was likely still recuperating from shock therapy. The most poignant absence was Veronika, the girl with green eyes and brown hair, whose impending death weighed heavily on everyone, bringing a sense of sorrow and fear. After supper, the members of the Fraternity club gathered as usual. One member received a note from Mari, announcing her permanent departure. They weren't surprised, assuming she was too unstable to remain in their serene environment. In her note, Mari reflected on her admiration for a poet who praised overflowing fountains of love. To avoid overwhelming her loved ones, she had contained her emotions like a cistern. Eventually, panic attacks overwhelmed her, leading to her admission at Villete. She realized, during her time with the Fraternity, that life inside the hospital mirrored life outside. People grouped together, deliberately ignoring what lay beyond their walls. Mari decided to embark on an adventure to Bosnia, determined to break free from those walls, irrespective of her age. The Fraternity dismissed Mari's reflections, convinced that she had finally lost her sanity.

Eduard and Veronika spend an evening with wine in Ljubljana and confess their love.

Eduard and Veronika left Villete and went to an expensive restaurant in Ljubljana, ordered extravagantly, and drank three bottles of excellent wine. They were loud and disruptive, so the owner made them leave without paying. Still drunk, they bought more wine and sat in the town square. Veronika remembered she would soon die. Eduard explained that in paintings of the Virgin Mary standing on a snake, the snake represents wisdom, not good and evil. The Virgin symbolizes female energy mastering wisdom. Veronika said Eduard should start painting again, beginning with her portrait. She made him swear to continue painting after that. They climbed the hill to the castle and Veronika again felt she should be dead from the exertion. She told Eduard to remember her face so he could paint it. She asked if he believed in God, then made him swear to paint her and keep painting after. Eduard said he loved her. They embraced as Veronika wished to die then. Eduard fell asleep holding her. In the morning, a policeman woke Eduard. He thought Veronika was dead, but she opened her eyes, alive for another day.

Dr. Igor is happy about his patients escape, as his treatment was aiming for it the whole time.

One morning, a nurse informed Dr. Igor two inmates - the ambassador's son and a girl with heart problems named - had escaped. Dr Igor was secretly pleased, as the escape was part of his experiment. He had diagnosed Veronika as suicidal after a near-fatal overdose and kept her at Villete. Unknown to her, he injected her with a drug to simulate heart attacks, making her constantly aware of impending death. His theory was an awareness of mortality would cure her and others of "Vitriol" - the despair that poisons life. Indeed, other patients like Mari began asking for discharge, re-evaluating their lives. Dr Igor decided the benefits outweighed the costs of his unethical experiment. Now Veronika was "cured" and free, ready to treasure each day as the miracle it is. Though questions remained, Dr Igor was excited to write his thesis on this radical treatment - using an awareness of death to renew one's joy for life.

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Veronika Decides to Die - Book Summary (2024)

Paulo Coelho

Veronika Decides to Die follows the journey of a young woman who attempts suicide and wakes up in a mental hospital, where she discovers a new appreciation for life and self-discovery.

Key Ideas

Veronika decided to commit suicide by taking an overdose of sleeping pills in her rented room at a convent in Ljubljana, Slovenia. As she waited to die, she read an article about a computer game made in Slovenia. The article began by asking "Where is Slovenia?", which bothered Veronika since most people didn't know where her country was. She wrote a letter to the magazine explaining Slovenia was one of the republics of the former Yugoslavia, intending it to be her suicide note.

Veronika took the pills but they only made her feel nauseous and fearful. She lost consciousness and awoke in Villete, a notorious asylum where the rich could pay to have family members committed. A nurse told Veronika about her aunt who had killed herself, even though her family loved her. The nurse sedated Veronika when she struggled against her restraints.

Veronika had wanted to commit suicide to end her meaningless life. She was upset to have survived and be confined in Villete against her will. The nurse didn't care about Veronika's reasons, only doing her job of keeping patients alive. Veronika stopped struggling to avoid further sedation, resigned to being trapped in a place where no one ever escaped.

Final Summary: Veronika Decides to Die by Paulo Coelho tells the story of a young woman named Veronika who decides to end her life due to the monotony and perceived hopelessness of her existence. However, her suicide attempt fails, and she wakes up in a mental hospital called Villete. There, she is told that her heart has been damaged and she has only a few days to live. Through her interactions with other patients and self-reflection, Veronika gradually discovers a newfound appreciation for life and begins to challenge the conventional definitions of sanity and insanity. The story ultimately conveys powerful messages about the importance of living authentically, embracing one's true desires, and finding beauty and purpose even amidst suffering.

10 Actions:

Practice Gratitude: Appreciate the small moments and experiences in your daily life.
Challenge Norms: Question societal expectations and dare to live life according to your own values and desires.
Seek Authenticity: Strive to be true to yourself, even if it means going against what others expect.
Embrace New Experiences: Push yourself to try new things and step out of your comfort zone regularly.
Value Your Emotions: Allow yourself to feel and express all your emotions, recognizing them as an essential part of life.
Foster Connections: Cultivate meaningful relationships and engage deeply with others.
Pursue Passions: Make time for activities that bring you joy and fulfillment, just as Veronika discovers her love for playing piano.
Mindfulness Practices: Engage in mindfulness or meditation to stay present and fully engaged in the current moment.
Reflect Regularly: Set aside time for self-reflection to understand your thoughts, motives, and actions better.
Act with Courage: Make decisions that reflect your true self, even if they seem difficult or go against the grain.

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