Paulo Coelho has created a distinct style of fiction: a framework of a quest story, usually set in an exotic place, which serves to deliver little homilies and life philosophies through the narratives of the various characters in the stories. In his newest book, Hippie, Coelho uses his framework to talk of the titular counterculture movement, and show how the lessons of those days are still relevant. In fact, he uses his own life experiences to make his point. In order to delve into multiple mindsets, he uses the third person narrative instead of the typical autobiographical first-person.
Hippie is set in the late 70s. Paulo, a young Brazilian, arrives in Amsterdam, looking to find deeper spiritual meaning in his life. He strikes up an acquaintance with Karla, a Dutch girl, who is looking for an adventure.
She’s just seen ads for a “Magic Bus”, a cheap tour that will take them over land through Europe, the Middle East, and finally to Nepal. But she needs someone to go with her. She’s been unable to love anyone with her whole soul so far, and wants to understand why. Paulo looks like someone she will be able to enjoy travelling with, so she tries to persuade him to go with her on the bus. Eventually, he does.
Paulo and Karla are part of the Hippie subculture—the subaltern movement of the 70s that was born of excessive authoritarianism and pressure to conform. Drugs, rock ‘n’ roll, and funky clothing are the most recognisable components, but Coelho the writer uses the opportunity to also remind us of the spiritual underpinnings of the movement: the longing for peace, the wish to understand what makes us human, and the paradoxical intention to stop the world and just get off for a while. These people are actively escaping from parts of their life that are suffocating them: the police state in Paulo’s case, and the feeling of ennui in Karla’s.
All these aspects of the movement have been forgotten in favour of the weird fashion, but are more relevant than ever in today’s fast-paced world. Paulo and Karla both eventually find what they are looking for, in unexpected ways.
The other travellers on the bus also have their own stories. There is the driver, an Indian, who’s wise beyond his years. There is the father who has asked his daughter to lead him on this new adventure. And there are other encounters along the way, with philosophers, mystics and policemen.
Readers will find the expected philosophical musings: there are the learnings from the Hippie subculture, from the Hindu and Sufi philosophy that Paulo, the character, is trying to absorb, and from other characters’ encounters. Karla, in parallel, is rediscovering what it means to love, and her lessons come from her own decisions.
Typical of Coelho, Karla is a strong, independent character who wins the readers’ heart—I’d think of her as the real protagonist of the book.
Read it both as a recent-historical novel and as a pithy inspirational book.