A new novel of temptation by the author of the international bestsellers The Alchemist and The Zahir.

A community devoured by greed, cowardice, and fear. A man persecuted by his painful past. A woman searching for happiness. In one eventful week, each of them will face questions of life, death, and power, and each will choose their own path. Will they choose good or evil?

In the remote village of Viscos, a stranger arrives, carrying with him a backpack containing a notebook and eleven gold bars. He comes searching for the answer to the question: Are human beings good or evil? In welcoming the mysterious foreigner, the whole village becomes an accomplice to his sophisticated plot, which will forever mark their lives.

Paulo Coelho's stunning novel explores the timeless struggle between good and evil and brings to our everyday dilemmas fresh incentive: to master the fear that prevents us from following our dreams, from being different, and from truly living.

Customer Rating:
Summary: THOUGHT PROVOKING STORY - TERRIFIC READING
Comment:
The struggle between good and evil is a topic that has occupied the minds of men throughout the ages. Poems, stories, and novels have been written with this contest as its theme, yet few I wager have been penned as compellingly as today's tale by Paulo Coelho.

This author who has won a number of prestigious awards, confines his narrative to a one week period and follows what he has been quoted as believing - that one man's life is every man's.

A stranger arrives in the secluded mountain village of Viscos. This is the place that Chantal Prym would give anything to escape, and she is one of the first to speak with the newcomer. He is carrying 11 gold bars and a notebook. He explains that he is seeking help in answering an important question - are people basically good or are they evil?

It is the stranger's belief that under certain circumstances every human being would, indeed, do something evil. Were Chantal to prove this to be true she could escape the confines of Viscos and begin a new life. However, committing such an act would be against all she believes to be right and true.

What will her choice be and how does this challenge affect the other villagers?

Tony nominee and Outer Critics Circle Award winner Linda Emond gives a breathtaking voice performance as Coelho's thought provoking story is revealed. Few who hear it will soon forget it.

- Gail Cooke

---