Novel Analysis - Witch of Portobello

SUMMARY

The Witch of Portobello – a rather intriguing title for a book. Spells? Potions? Broomsticks? No. This book is not about that, not even close.

The book revolves around the accounts of different people that met our protagonist, Athena or Sherine Khalil. According to one of the accounts, a woman belongs to one of the four classic archetypes based on how they search meaning in their lives. She may be a virgin who search through complete independence; a martyr who learns through pain; a saint through unconditional love; or a witch who learns through complete and limitless pleasure. What made Athena unique is that she is all four at once.

Born in Romania and adopted by a known family in Beirut is our main character. As a child, Athena was very religious. She had everything. Parents who love and respect what she wants and what she thinks, the best education, the attention and love she craves. Despite all that, it didn’t satisfy her restless soul. She got married, gave birth to a son and got divorced already by the age of 20. She turned her back to the church that rejected her because of her divorce. Transferred from job to job when she is about to become very successful in it. She searched for the meaning of life through searching for her mother, dancing til the point of trance and even through perfecting the art of calligraphy. Her life was a vicious cycle of destruction and rebirth, losing and finding. The only thing that kept her going is her son, the thread that keeps every bit of sanity she has.

For a woman with such knowledge in the power of self-realization and love, matched with the unselfishness to share to the world the power we carry in ourselves is a problem. Why? As the author have said, she is a 22nd century woman living in the 21st. The world is not ready for such knowledge. She taught things she herself hasn’t mastered yet. And that might be the reason why she was murdered.

FAVORITE CHARACTER

Athena or Sherine Khalil is our main character. Too cliché maybe, to say she’s my favorite but you see, Athena embodies almost all the characteristics of a true millennial woman – strong and delicate, knows when to fight harder and when to give up, loves unconditionally yet know what she deserves. As a millennial too, I truly admire these. A woman shouldn’t be closed to what society expects from her. She must learn to fight for what she wants and what she needs.

Being a non-conformist is not a sign of rebellion but rather I see it as a sign of strength. You challenge what is infront of you. You try to make a change. And wouldn’t we want to somehow make a change too? But like every coin, it has its other side. And maybe, Athena has more courage than I am because she knew the consequences of living that kind of life.

Choosing her doesn’t mean I am joining the bandwagon. It just goes to show that the author did a great job in truly captivating the readers. Reading the accounts of those people that barely knew her or knew her so much is like somehow seeing her through a magnifying glass. Every strand of her personality was told and for that every strand, I felt that I have my fair share of that too. I guess like Athena, I know I am capable of changing what is around me but knowing that every desire comes with a price to pay.

FAVORITE QUOTATIONS

“If there is any possible consolation in the tragedy of losing someone we love very much, it's the necessary hope that perhaps it was for the best.” – This is perhaps the best quote I have encountered in the book. It speaks about tragedy and pain yet gives the hope you need to move on. Losing someone may be one of the most painful things the universe can do to you. Depression will kick in and you will be on the brink of insanity. You will reevaluate life and ask so many questions. But like what quote have said, that maybe losing them is not too bad after all. Maybe we lost them to have space for better things or so that we can save ourselves from the worse things that can happen. There is always 2 sides of a story and I guess this quote wants us to look on the brighter side of things.

“Don't be like those people who believe in "positive thinking" and tell themselves that they're loved and strong and capable. You don't need to do that because you know it already. And when you doubt it — which happens, I think, quite often at this stage of evolution — do as I suggested. Instead of trying to prove that you're better than you think, just laugh. Laugh at your worries and insecurities. View your anxieties with humor. It will be difficult at first, but you'll gradually get used to it. Now go back and meet all those people who think you know everything. Convince yourself that they're right, because we all know everything, it's merely a question of believing.” – Unlike the first quote, this is about believing that you can. It is about believing in your capabilities. Of course it is human nature to doubt and like what they said, our worst critic is our very selves. This quote suggests that when that time comes, we must not give in to our own demons. Shrug it off, as hard as you can and go to the people who believes in you. Do not sulk. And when these people tells you things, do not doubt them nor take them for liars. Trust them and believe. Do not let your own demons win.

“The day is made up of 24 hours and an infinite number of moments. We need to be aware of those moments and make the most of them regardless of whether we're busy doing something or contemplating life.” – Fast food, fast cars, fast transactions... We want everything to be fast. And sometimes, we don’t even stop. This tells us that in a day, there are so many things that can happen and will happen. You are living a fast-tracked life and if your eyes are not keen enough, moments will pass you by like lightning. Life is too short to not live in these moments. We don’t know when our last will be so I guess we should really open the door when opportunity comes knocking.

“I've noticed that loneliness gets stronger when we try to face it down, but gets weaker when we simply ignore it.” – Sometimes, we think of the idea of being alone as a very sad thing. That’s when we feel we’re lonely. Thinking of it too much aggravates the problem. This quote suggests that the more we think of it, the more it will be hard for us to recover. We must learn to no longer pay more attention to it. Ignoring it means accepting it yet not making it a reason to stop living.

SYMBOLS

1. LIGHT (“No one lights a lamp in order to hide it behind the door: the purpose of light is to create more light, to open people’s eyes, to reveal the marvels around.”)

In this sense, light symbolizes the enlightenment of the mind. Like Athena who learned something in search for life’s meaning, she knew that hiding it is not the path to take. She knew that this knowledge must be shared. Like a light that leads the way, she wants that knowledge to be the key to humanity’s own enlightenment.