Sofia Coelho’s recent novel, The Alchemist, has become a sensation in just a few days, garnering both popularity and awards upon its release. This novel is set in Lisbon during the early seventies and is centered on the life of a young street kid called Aloza, who is called by his foster-father to live with an older woman called Corinto. The two are forced to share a room and Aloza’s duty is to make bread for the woman, whilst working to earn his own money through petty jobs and petty stealing – not as difficult a task as it sounds given the tough economic times nowadays, when everyone needs a little help making ends meet. As the novel unfolds, you come to understand the intricate workings of a young mind, the sort of thinking that comes hand in hand with a young mind that is going through adolescence.
Throughout the novel we watch Aloza grow not only into a person but also as a human being and thus we are introduced to several interesting social aspects of his character. We learn about his early years growing up in poverty, his rejection by his peers for being too young to be into the streets, and his determination to make a better life for himself despite having to work a part-time job in order to support his young family. It is during this time that Sofia Coelho’s name crops up, and what an impact she has upon Aloza and on the reader as well!
We are introduced to Sofia Coelho’s nationality, that is, her Portuguese heritage. It is a well kept secret in the novel that Aloza’s biological father was an immigrant from Benin, which placed him, Aloza, at a crossroads in his life; choosing to stay in Portugal for good, or travelling north for better opportunities. The choice is never made clear, the motive never explained, yet it is beautifully depicted in Coelho’s language. The novel then portrays Aloza’s expulsion from his native country, and the subsequent search for his identity, both spiritual and intellectual, throughout Europe and North America. The main theme running throughout is the question of identity, and the choices that are made along the way.