The Winner Stands Alone

The Winner Stands Alone

Book Overview

Synopsis

Paulo Coelho’s 2008 novel ‘The Winner Stands Alone’ is a story set in the world of glamour and fashion. It reveals the darker side of the celebrity world, the wealth and fame by interweaving the characters' connected stories.

The central story revolves around Igor Malev, a Russian businessman, arriving at Cannes to win his ex-wife, Ewa, back. Ewa had run away from Igor after realizing the psychopathic nature of her husband. She escapes and gets married to a famous fashion designer from the Arab world, Hamid Hussien. Igor has been planning a way to win Ewa back and he finds his opportunity when she arrives at Cannes with Hamid. He decides to send her cryptic messages by assassinating a number of people. He begins with a young girl at the beach and moves on higher to aspiring actresses and famous actors and directors. The Interpol are equally perplexed by the various assassinations, which seem so random at first. However, Igor has his motive clear and will do anything to fulfill it. While this goes on, the author reveals the truth behind the myths of the glamor world and the ‘Superclass’, through the other interweaving stories of Gabriela, an aspiring actress; Jasmine, a supermodel; and Hamid, a fashion magnate.

Reflections

There are several conclusions that can be drawn out from this book. I would like to state a few:

1.      A New View to Christianity: Paulo Coelho brings in a new dimension of Christianity into the mind of the reader. Chrisitanity has always been considered a religion of peace, love and fraternity. However, Paulo Coelho shows that just like the jihadists, who interpret the Quran in violent means, even Christianity could be interpreted so as to commit crimes. Out of the many references, I would like to mention this one as it really reveals the mind of a Christian assassin. Igor believes that his mission in Cannes is to bring back Ewa at any cost, even if it means destroying whole worlds. However, while at this task, he begins to doubt his intentions. It is here that he turns to the life of Jesus. Jesus was being tempted by the Devil, with the latters most sophisticated method: good intentions. He sees that he too is being tempted by the Devil to give up his mission out of good intentions. Pondering on the clarification of good intentions, Igor concludes: “If sin achieves something good, it is a virtue, and if virtue is deployed to cause evil, it is a sin.

2.      A Loss of Identity: Paulo Coelho brings out another important aspect in the world of fashion. It is the loss of one’s personal identity. He raises this point in three various ways. The first is brought out in the story of Jasmine the supermodel. Jasmine, who is naturally beautiful, is reluctant to join the world of fashion, though she is approached by two photographers who wish to launch her. After witnessing a crime and falsely testifying in court, she finds her refuge in the world of fashion. She approaches the two agents and finally decides on one. However, she is asked to change her name from Christina to something more catchy and attractive. Thus, Jasmine Tiger is born. This is one loss of identity, when one is ready to lose his/her name so as to get fame. The second way, is brought out in the story of Gabriela, the aspiring actress and is on similar lines as the first. Gabriela has been aspiring to be an actress from her childhood. After many failed auditions, she gets a chance to star in a film with a famous actor. However, as she goes through the contract before signing it she notices that an imaginary bio-data and name have already been assigned to her. She is reluctant but having come so far she signs the contract and changes her name and history. The third way is revealed in the story of Hamid Hussein. Hamid was born into a cloth merchant’s family. He always desired to be a fashion designer but could not because of the poverty in the family. However, because of his father’s courage to stand up for his convictions, the sheikh decided to sponsor Hamid’s education. He was given the freedom to pursue his frams. The task entrusted to him was to reveal the real rich culture of the Arab world through his various designs. Though he entered in with the right intentions, he got lost in all the fame he received and forgot the true reason for joining the fashion industry.

3.      A clear-cut division in the fashion world: Paulo Coelho explicitly brings out the structural divide among the people in the fashion world. There are the Superclass, the Powerful and the Perfumes. The Superclass are the ones on the very top; the cream of the fashion world. They are the face of everything and even take special medications for weight loss and sleep. The Superclass are always competing with the other as to who should be on the top and are the ultimate winners in the hedonistic game of modern life. The Powerful, in the ideal world, are those making requests and fixing meetings with the actors, directors, designers and so on. In the real world, they are the ones who grumble that their friends looked more fashionable than themselves. The last of the pack are the ‘Perfumes’. ‘Perfume’ is a slang term used by actresses. Just as with perfumes, out of the many brands, just one would be the real find so the ‘Perfumes’ hope that they too will attract some desirable person. The female ‘perfumes’ put their trust in the power of their diamonds and the male ‘perfumes’ are those that think that the youthful women have fallen for them and can be manipulated at will. They are usually the millionaires and elite who have lost all natural beauty and have put all their faith in their prized possession: their money.

Conclusion

The book is a good read and is a quick read. The story line has a structural flow though it can seem a bit confusing at first with the interweaving storylines. The chapters are not named; in fact, each chapter has been assigned a timeline that follows from its predecessor. The reflections the author provides in the book contain secular content with a religious backing. The story moves so well and the suspense is held till the last pages of the book. The book is definitely worth reading for the new generation and needs to be read critically.