I have never penned an article like this before. Primarily because no other novel has made me feel this way before.
Every famous author has that one book that becomes their calling card. For Dan Brown, that is The Da Vinci Code. For Agatha Christie, Murder on the Orient Express. For Gillian Flynn, Gone Girl.
The Alchemist is that book for Paulo Coelho, the Brazilian author who stands alongside names like Haruki Murakami and Leo Tolstoy as writers that have broken the national barrier and attained worldwide stardom.
I recently read The Alchemist. I had high expectations. And for once, they were not only met, but exceeded.