Veronika Decides to Die

Photo: Philip Friedman/Studio D

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Veronika Decides to Die
240 pages; Harper Perennial
"I love Coelho because he asks important questions, like What would I do today if I knew I'd be hit by a bus tomorrow?" This novel, the Brazilian author's 15th book, is about a woman who tries to kill herself, only to end up in a mental hospital where a doctor tells her she has just a few days to live. But then she falls in love with a fellow patient, and together they choose life. "Veronika gave me chills because it shows the power of the mind," Malin Akerman says.
— As told to Abbe Wright