VALKYRIES

I'm reading a book right now that scares me a little: THE VALKYRIES, by Paulo Coelho. I bought it in mid-December... but at that time I was not ready for it. I purchased it because I so loved one of Coelho's other works (THE ALCHEMIST) and had recently discovered that he wrote many more. But as I leafed thru and read one or two pages (as I'm apt to do with a new book, rather than just jumping in at the beginning with no sense of what's to come) it appeared to deal with a subject matter that was too close to some raw & tricky feelings I was experiencing.

As I take it up now, three months later, I'm still not sure I'm ready. I notice myself reading it with an expression of empathy & a bit of pain on my brow. It tugs at things in my heart that are hard to think about...

About 1/2 way through the book, a statement is made:
"We have a contract, you and I: not to win when victory is possible."

The story seems to be a journey of learning how to break that very pact most of us have made unknowingly - how not to kill the things we most love.

I wonder how it will end.