Book Review- Paulo Coelho's Eleven Minutes

First read Eleven Minutes around age 19 and remember it vividly enough to reread it for the book review and yes, it is a romance novel based on a prostitute named Maria. Irregardless of one’s belief on sex, can a book that centers on a prostitute’s experiences be described as romantic? But, perhaps love is not an exclusive experience only for the selected who walk the conventional path to relationships and marriage. In Eleven Minutes, Coelho not only makes the novel romantic but makes it read almost like a religious and philosophical discovery, with mentions of Mother Mary, the meaning of sex and love and the history of sacred prostitution. It is sweet and unlike the usual romance books, provokes deep thought, pushing the reader to have an expanded view of sex and morality; at least while immersed in reading the novel. A short summary would be something along the line of Maria, our protagonist noticing a figure who looks like Virgin Mary advising her not to go on the sexual prostitution path, yet she embarks on it and luckily has a happy ending at the end, instead of being killed or exploited. Maria is depicted as a rather intellectual character, despite being in the sex trade who has rather intelligent thoughts on life and sex. She writes a diary, studies and even falls in love! However, do not be deceived. This is not an erotic novel nor solely a novel about the sex trade. It is a novel that can be shared by mothers with their young female adult daughters, for it ponders the meaning of sex and body and what it can and cannot be used for without losing oneself. Paulo also gives the reader a sobering view of the prostitution industry by talking candidly about how Maria garnered the courage and clarity to craft a different path for herself eventually, while contrasting it with the circumstances of her other colleagues who remain in the sex trade. Despite never having been in the sex industry thus perhaps not an accurate judge of it; nevertheless, I feel that Coelho gives a seemingly realistic depiction of the life of a prostitute in Switzerland. He revealed that he had consulted his Swiss agent on the prostitution laws in Switzerland and that Eleven Minutes is based very much on the stories of different prostitutes he had met with, who passed him their manuscripts and shared their stories with him; and that real-life Maria is married with two children since. As a woman who lives in a more traditional society where women, as compared to men are talked of more disparagingly with regards to sexual mores and a more severe form of misogyny with regards to sex than western societies still exists, I am endlessly fascinated by authors who write in a non-judgmental style on sexuality which is Coelho’s signature style, not just in Eleven Minutes. To say that this is simply a romance novel with an unusual character as a protagonist would not do the book justice. This novel is essentially a story about grace and redemption. Coelho prefaces the novel with an epigraph that include the story in Luke 7 about the “sinful woman” who is forgiven, and a poem from around 4th Century B.C. with the lines- “I am the prostitute and the saint. I am the wife and the virgin. ” Coelho’s description of Maria’s journey is a reflective one in we can all see fragments of ourselves in her through her thoughts even though we have never stepped into the sex trade. One of the more outstanding parts of Coelho’s novel is how he portrays Maria’s struggle to choose between the two forms of sex offered to her from two different clients. One a more loving form of sex and the other a more damaging one disguised as pleasure that is destructive for Maria’s mental health and soul. This brings to mind Bondage Discipline Sadism Masochism or BDSM (a form of sex that involves physical bondage and the giving or receiving of pain) that was depicted in wildly popular blockbuster movies but the dangers of the abuse of such forms of sex are perhaps poorly understood in modern dating culture; as non-fatal strangulation was reported as an earlier occurrence prior to death in 43% of homicides in The Journal of Emergency Medicine in 2007. Non-fatal Strangulation is an Important Risk Factor for Homicide of Women Coelho describes Maria’s exposure to BDSM in great detail, but does not overwhelm the novel with it, even though it is one of the important centerpieces; rather focusing on Maria’s resultant emotional journey and growth; as she faces her struggles in her profession of sexual work and ponders whether to continue with the “special requests of BDSM”. It is quite remarkable how Maria’s first exposure to the questionable form of sex she was invited to take part in was described. Paulo shows his depth of skill and research by writing despite nothing happening the first time Maria and the client met, the client told Maria simply by exposing her to the idea of the form of damaging sex he had in mind, Maria would be ready the next time as the changes would have started to happen in her soul. This brings to mind the grooming of young children or adults for horrendous sexual activities which has been touched on briefly in the media, though in the media, it seems like it is such a different reality that one has to be tricked into it. In Eleven Minutes however, Coelho writes about how Maria, a women who has gone to Switzerland from the inner lands of Brazil and one who is capable of forming intelligent thoughts was easily influenced and attracted to the questionable form of sex she was propositioned. The magic of Coelho’s Eleven Minutes lies in invoking thoughtful pondering and tenderness in the reader, instead of judgement as the thoughts of Maria seem so naive and easy to understand. Still, Eleven Minutes is not just about describing the dubious sexual prepositions that Maria receives. Coelho also writes eloquently about female desire and how falling in love and being with the man she loves renewed Maria; although she had been in the sex trade which commodifies sex. It is amazing to think that a prostitute can find love again and that her partner can see a future with her, despite her past. Coelho also describes Maria as no different from others while apart from their lovers. He writes about Maria’s thoughts while waiting for Ralf, her love interest- “if her heart began to complain about his absence…she would say to herself: “Oh, so you want to think about that, do you? All right, then, you do what you like, while I get on with more important things.”, portraying Maria as a very down-to-earth and relatable character in a romance novel. It is also Coelho’s signature style to talk about life philosophy and faith, as is the case in Eleven Minutes. There are numerous philosophical ruminations in the novel with Maria and Ralf, her love interest. Through Maria’s diary musings- “ If you live your life intensely, you experience pleasure all the time and don’t feel the need for sex. When you have sex, it’s out of a sense of abundance.” Coelho touches on the significance of sex which is quite a remarkable musing as it is a story based on the life journey of a prostitute Likewise, Ralf, Maria’s love interest has his own deep thoughts. He ponders, “We are human beings, we are born full of guilt; we feel terrified when happiness becomes a real possibility.” Coelho’s philosophical musings eventually come full-circle and end on a positive note as he describes how Ralf and Maria come to terms with each other and the demons within themselves. He talks beautifully about the importance of the right time for everything and how it intertwines with one’s destiny as well, penning “that what is real always finds a way of revealing itself…really important meetings are planned by the souls long before the bodies see each other.” Nonetheless, there is no difficult to understand language and Eleven Minutes is an easily understandable read that invokes the reader to think about love and our life journeys instead of just a touching romantic read. Lastly, this is not solely Maria’s love story, it is also about the love story of the man who fell in love with Maria. Coelho writes “A man is also a woman; he wants to find someone, to give meaning to his life.” I think through Coelho’s story of Maria, a prostitute and a jaded man falling in love; a little light is shed on the eons of suffering intermingled with sex in human history and perhaps conveys that love, redemption and cleansing of past pains and choices are still possible, even when one is just a girl from the hinterlands of Brazil who has fallen far from the ideal sort of love and relationships that society cheers on; and that we are not our identity, and we can change which is what Maria does. Sometimes, we just need a love story that is unexpected and makes us feel like coming home to a place where no pre-judgements of love exist, as Coelho writes about Ralf, Maria’s love interest’s thoughts about Maria, “ I plunged into the depths of my soul and I know that I still want good things, many good things from this life…One of those good things is you.” which is definitely swooningly touching. The criticism of Eleven Minutes is that it seems a little unrealistic though Paulo did reveal that it was based on the real life experience of a prostitute he had discussions with and that real-life Ralf whom real-life Maria married was older than the protagonist in the story. Nonetheless, at no point in time did I think of giving up on the story and not going on to finish reading it and perhaps that is the mark of a good book. When I think about what I have gained from reading this novel, it is that my perception of love became more expansive, at least from an intellectual perspective. Not to be questioned, this book is a light and romantic read which attests to the writing skill of Paulo Coelho and would be a healing read for many readers with its ending of new beginnings and a future filled with hope for Maria. I find it particularly touching that it is sometimes men who have the greatest empathy for the struggles of women which is reflected in their books and writing. I recall besides Paulo Coelho, Dr. Akira Ikegawa, gynaecologist and former head of department at Department of Obstetrics at Ageo Central General Hospital, Japan who writes about fetal memories in his books. One would perhaps think a female obstetrician would be the more likely author to pen the book. Likewise, Coelho writes in Eleven Minutes with a touching sense of non-judgment and grace that even most females would be hard-pressed to pen. Although parts of Eleven Minutes are darker and more serious, it is one of the more thought-provoking and sweet books I have read. It starts with once upon a time and does not disappoint with its ending. Have a great day! ~ X SillySmartAtom’s Substack is free today. But if you enjoyed this post, you can tell SillySmartAtom’s Substack that their writing is valuable by pledging a future subscription. You won't be charged unless they enable payments. © 2024 SillySmartAtom 548 Market Street PMB 72296, San Francisco, CA 94104