Witch of Portobello

It has been over a month or so since I put off the book. I just can’t bring myself to read the last final few pages. The final few pages of how Athena died. Not after you had fallen in love with Athena and her son, enchanted by her dances, mesmerized by her calligraphies, adores every aspect of her life.

Novelist, Paulo Coelho, famous for his work The Alchemist, is one of my favorite author. I had read most of his work, some are duds, and then there are a few of his masterpiece works that touches you, and brings you to places that you had never thought of.

Witch of Portobello is one of those masterpieces. It starts with the death of the main character, Athena. That is how I know that the last few pages probably is about how Athena died.

The book has an interesting writing style. Athena’s story is told from the point of view of different people who knew her. Athena’s life story revealed to us as the narrator piece together the stories he had gathered from letters and interviews he did with Athena’s adoptive mother, her ex-husband, a journalist researching vampires, a priest, her landlord, her calligraphy teacher and an actress.

Each sharing their own view and experience of meeting Athena, their individual emotions, anger, support, respect or disgust. Athena seems to be more of an enigma. It is as if each of them is talking about a different Athena.

As you piece together their stories, slowly you begin to unfold Athena’s story. Born of Gypsy origins, adopted by a Lebanese couple that loves her so dearly. She then decides to change her name to Athena. Filled with restlessness, she then went on a personal spiritual journey trying to fill in the spaces and the silences in her life.

The journey took her all over the globe. She then finds a mentor is a woman called Edda and end up becoming a spiritual leader in a form of a high priestess.

Be wary that this book explores certain concepts of alternative religion. There are some Pagan rituals depicted in this book. Communing with the Mother Goddess, mission to spread the love, and other new age stuff. So it might not be for everyone.

Then again the religion is not what this book is about. Just like how Chuck Palahniuk’s Fight Club is not about the basement fights or Joseph Heller’s Catch-22 is not about a World War II U.S. Air Force B-25 bombardier.

Read Witch of Portobello with an open mind, you might learn something from Athena.

Popularity: 55% [?]