Book review: Paulo Coelho's latest tale is about two compelling & opposing forces — adventure and caution

When the title of a book is more seductive than its content, you might want to remember that old saying, "Don't judge a book by its cover". Except that the cover of Paulo Coelho's latest book, Adultery, has three cherries on it, and not the usual bitten apple. Then again, since it is none less than the hottest seller of the century, the reader should expect something different.

The 30-something Swiss protagonist tells her story. There's something changing in her life, in her head, in her brain and heart. She's not sure what it is. Is it boredom of a perfect life of a beautiful home, a devoted husband and kids? A nice job? A leading city of the world to live in: Geneva? Something in the form of depression, propels her towards an adventure with her ex-boyfriend from college, with whom, alarmingly, in the very first meeting, she gets down to business right away!

From then on, her conscience (aka Paulo Coelho) talks to the reader in many voices: the voice of a shaman and the guilt of a woman. A reasoning that washes away that guilt, and has it return again. While the novel deconstructs adultery in typical Paulo Coelho fashion, be prepared for some shades of grey elements that creep in. And of course, no book of this author can be complete without a metaphysical inquiry. That's the piece de resistance.