Although similar in theme to his novels, Aleph is a work of non-fiction first outlined in a series of as-it-happened blogs and describing a recent journey of self-discovery.
Twenty years after his first transcendental experience, feeling his spiritual development stalling and suffering from a crisis of faith, Coehlo embarks on a book tour through Europe in the hopes of reconnecting with his readers and his faith.
The journey culminates in a train journey across Russia, a pilgrimage that forms the core of this book. Among his entourage is a beautiful young violinist, who swears her undying devotion and insists on accompanying him despite all attempts to dissuade her.
After uniting with her in "aleph", (a moment of sublime understanding) Coehlo realises she is a reincarnation of a woman he condemned to death 500 years ago during the Spanish inquisition. Only by confronting his past crimes and obtaining her forgiveness can he regain the true path.
For Coehlo's followers, all this will constitute further proof of his spiritual credentials, while for the cynic it is more readily interpreted as an exercise in self-justification by a man in the grips of a mid-life crisis.
That said, the author is obviously sincere in his belief and determined to resist temptation, albeit by unusual means. Who can help but admire a man who, upon returning to his sleeping carriage to find a naked woman pleading for his love, lies down with her and initiates a past life regression?
- Dr McKinney is a Dunedin scientist.
