The Zahir by Paulo Coelho

The Zahir by Paulo Coelho, begins with a glimpse or a passing thought. It ends in obsession.

Lead character is wildly successful novelist and celebrity who lives in Paris with his wife Esther, a war correspondent who speaks four languages. Their marriage hit rock bottom. Ester wanting to move-on in search of her own happiness. When Esther disappears, he is tormented and traumatized by the mystery of what has happened to her. Has she been kidnapped, killed, or has she left him for another lover? He struggle in trying to come to terms with something he cannot understand or control: the mystery of Esther's absence. It is very hard for him to let go of his feeling that she is the only one who fills his life with meaning. The inner journey he takes opens him up to new possibilities.

Its doesn't match Coelho's masterwork 'The Alchemist', but for those who are willing to travel lightly, there are some interesting insights here on obsessive love, the emptiness of celebrity-status success, and the courage needed to square off against the mysteries and rewards of letting go of ego and stepping into the dark unknown. Coelho show extraordinary insight into what it is to be a human being in a world full of possibility.