THE ZAHIR by Paulo CoelhoSuperabundant talent, stunning originality, an elegant way with words The Zahir is something more. Los Angeles Times The narrator of The Zahr is a bestselling novelist who lives in Paris and enjoys all the privileges money and celebrity bring. His wife of ten years, Esther, is a war correspondent who has disappeared along with a friend, Mikhail, who may or may not be her lover. Was Esther kidnapped, murdered, or did she simply escape a marriage that