Book Review: Paulo Coelho’s The Devil and Miss Prym         

It was the title that hit me when I first saw the book.  Enticed by the label “A Novel of Temptation”, I immediately borrowed it from my friend.  The temptation to know more about it led me to go home at once so I could start reading it.

The Devil and Miss Prym tells the story of a stranger who is accompanied by the devil, arriving in a small town called Viscos and slowly shaking the inhabitants’ ideal traits and values. In the village, every one is believed to be ‘”good and honest”.  Being haunted by the ghost of his tragic past, the stranger wants to find out if these people would remain good and ideal, under any circumstance.  For the stranger believes that given the right circumstances, every human being on this earth is capable and willing to commit evil.  And so the stranger meets Miss Prym, his chosen accomplice, a miserable bartender who seems to be suffering from a monotonous and unhappy life brought by the silent coercion of the people to undermine her.  Her meeting with the stranger would lead her to change her life and even recast the entire community.  The stranger has 11 gold bars with him that can improve the lives of the townspeople and even that of their children forever. The bargain? They need to sacrifice one life for the betterment and fulfillment of their dreams. 

Paulo Coelho has always been one of my favorite authors.  Apart from his great story-telling skills, I’ve always admired his philosophies and idealisms which gradually penetrate our humanity. He has mastered the art of throwing awkward and unasked questions about life and eventually poses answers for those. Of all his books that I’ve read, I’ve always observed that the philosopher in him makes all his books consistently touch the essence of Truth.

The Devil and Miss Prym, Coelho has thrashed out the basic reality of our personal struggle with the good and evil.  There is always an eternal fight between good and evil inside all of us. Good and evil are the two sides of human nature. But then, we are given the chance to take control of it.  Carrying the label “A novel of temptation”, Coelho proves to us that the infinite battle of good and evil in every heart and mind can eventually lead us to discovering deeper things about ourselves. The story opens our eyes to the truth of what man can carry out and sacrifice in exchange for survival.  Considering the bargain of the stranger, when one is offered 11 gold bars that can last a lifetime of leisure, will one give way to the bargain even at the price of committing a murder?

This simple question would make us reflect on how we tread on life’s pathways amidst the confusion created by the clash of our innate goodness and badness.  This personal realization can somehow lead us to scrutinize the our surroundings given the story’s dilemma.  The dilemma experienced by the people of Viscos mirrors the decay of our community which are reflected in the choices we make.  The story shows human nature and how we react when exposed to conflicts of morality.

This book will make us ponder even harder.  This will make you sit for a moment and contemplate about life and your existence in the community.  Foremost, it will leave you an inexplicable question: Are human beings, in essence, good or evil?  Discover the answer in you.