By the River Piedra, I saw down and wept

After 'The Alchemist', 'By the River Piedra' is by far the most touching book by Paulo Coelho I have ever read.

It talks about love, religion and life. All three I'm starting to doubt. All three I'm slowly starting to forget. Reading the book was like a journey towards realization.

My heart jumped when I caught a glimpse of it on the bookstand. I slowly inched my way towards it. I have not seen its cover but I knew it was the book of Paulo I have been looking for. Without a backward glance, I took and paid for it.

I was on my way to meet a friend then. She was late, as usual. And for the first time, I was thankful that she was. I skirted my way towards an empty chair and with coffee on the right hand; I awkwardly tore the plastic and breathlessly took in the sight of my new book.

I scrambled to get a highlighter because I know I would be underlining words and phrases that touch me. Finding none, I resignedly leafed through the first page of the book. I can wait til I get home to read, but I can't..so there.

I have written down some of the aphorisms I have encountered. Some were common thoughts and feelings. What's so nice about it is how it was put into writing so that readers like me are immensely touched.

'Love makes us old before our time - or young, if youth has passed.'
We have to take risks. 'We will only understand the miracle of life fully when we allow the unexpected to happen.'
'If we cannot learn to look at life with the innocence and the enthusiasm of childhood - it makes sense to go on living.'
'The wise are only wise because they love. And the foolish are only foolish because they think they can understand love.'
'Love is much like a dam; if you allow a tiny crack to form through which only a trickle of water can pass, that trickle will quickly bring down the whole structure, and soon no one will be able to control the force of the current.'
'In real life, princesses kiss princes, and the princes turn into frogs.'
My personal fave is how LOVE is darkly defined: 'It's like a narcotic. At first it brings the euphoria of complete surrender. The next day, you want more. You're not addicted yet, but you like the sensation, and you think you can still control things. You think about the person you love for two minutes, and forget them for three hours.'
'But then you get used to the person, and you begin to be completely dependent on them. Now you think about him for three hours and forget him for two minutes. If he's not there, you feel like an addict who can't get a fix. And just as addicts steal and humiliate themselves to get what they need, you're willing to do anything for love.'

Would I recommend this book? Only to those who seek to understand, be inspired and be moved.