I've had this book for a couple of years already and typical me only appreciates it the second time round i read it... Thats prob why i didnt do so well in Literature...
Anyway, this story tells of 24 yr old Veronika, who seemingly has everything in a perfect life, lives in Slovenia, a small European country. She decides to commit a premeditated suicide by ingesting too many sleeping pills. While she waits for her fate, she decides to read a magazine.
After reading through the magazine, she decides to write a letter to the press justifying her suicide has been induced by an article in the magazine, which asks a rather stupid question: "Where is Slovenia?" The idea being to make the press believe that she has killed herself because people don't even know where Slovenia is in today's global village. Good excuse, she thinks. Her plan fails and she wakes up in Villete (a mental hospital in Slovenia, where she is told she has a week to live.
Her presence there affects all of the mental hospital's patients, especially Zedka (who has clinical depression), Mari (who suffers from panic attacks), and Eduard (who has schzophrenia), with whom Veronika falls in love.
During her internment in Villete she realises that she has nothing to lose and can therefore do what she wants, say what she wants and be who she wants without having to worry about what others think of her. Who's going to criticise her, she's mad after all.
Because of this newfound freedom Veronika experiences all the things she never allowed herself to experience.
The reader quickly discovers that Dr. Igor believes by telling patients they only have a very short time period to live, they will find the will to live again and will appreciate being alive rather than trying to commit suicide again.
I particularly liked the part about how she justifies why she decides to die when she has a seemingly perfect life.
In retrospect of 2006, it seems like i have lived & felt as though how Veronika felt during her week in Villete. I dont regret a single moment, but wish that things would have ended differently on 31st Dec 2006. More significantly, unlike Veronika who was struggling to kill herself despite her sanity, i felt like i was drowning in a sea of insanity and struggling to live.
Of cos i am a firm believer of whatever happens, happens for a reason. Serendipity if you will or just plain 'things-always-turn-out-for-the-best'. But of late, increasingly, i find it difficult to convince myself.
Well, according to my friend, gorry's creator, sheep fan tai sui this year... true or not, it sure damn feels like it this year.
Anyway, 2007 still remains an unwritten book. Hopefully it will end up with the story i want. ( Gorry's is looking to be a murder mystery tho. :(
Happy New Year and here's hoping all ur hopes & dreams come true! ( Mine first ! )
Anyway, this story tells of 24 yr old Veronika, who seemingly has everything in a perfect life, lives in Slovenia, a small European country. She decides to commit a premeditated suicide by ingesting too many sleeping pills. While she waits for her fate, she decides to read a magazine.
After reading through the magazine, she decides to write a letter to the press justifying her suicide has been induced by an article in the magazine, which asks a rather stupid question: "Where is Slovenia?" The idea being to make the press believe that she has killed herself because people don't even know where Slovenia is in today's global village. Good excuse, she thinks. Her plan fails and she wakes up in Villete (a mental hospital in Slovenia, where she is told she has a week to live.
Her presence there affects all of the mental hospital's patients, especially Zedka (who has clinical depression), Mari (who suffers from panic attacks), and Eduard (who has schzophrenia), with whom Veronika falls in love.
During her internment in Villete she realises that she has nothing to lose and can therefore do what she wants, say what she wants and be who she wants without having to worry about what others think of her. Who's going to criticise her, she's mad after all.
Because of this newfound freedom Veronika experiences all the things she never allowed herself to experience.
The reader quickly discovers that Dr. Igor believes by telling patients they only have a very short time period to live, they will find the will to live again and will appreciate being alive rather than trying to commit suicide again.
I particularly liked the part about how she justifies why she decides to die when she has a seemingly perfect life.
In retrospect of 2006, it seems like i have lived & felt as though how Veronika felt during her week in Villete. I dont regret a single moment, but wish that things would have ended differently on 31st Dec 2006. More significantly, unlike Veronika who was struggling to kill herself despite her sanity, i felt like i was drowning in a sea of insanity and struggling to live.
Of cos i am a firm believer of whatever happens, happens for a reason. Serendipity if you will or just plain 'things-always-turn-out-for-the-best'. But of late, increasingly, i find it difficult to convince myself.
Well, according to my friend, gorry's creator, sheep fan tai sui this year... true or not, it sure damn feels like it this year.
Anyway, 2007 still remains an unwritten book. Hopefully it will end up with the story i want. ( Gorry's is looking to be a murder mystery tho. :(
Happy New Year and here's hoping all ur hopes & dreams come true! ( Mine first ! )
Yang Ma Ma
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