Those of us who study literature all know that literature is deeply connected with philosophy. However, many times we struggle to understand philosophical ideas because we lack basic knowledge of philosophy. Some of us also find it difficult to decide which books to start our philosophical reading with.
This book is exactly the kind of one you can begin your journey into philosophy with. It is mainly written in the form of a novel. The main character of the story is Sophie, a 15-year-old girl. She starts receiving a series of letters in her mailbox, but she has no idea who is sending them. Through these letters, Sophie gains her first lessons in philosophy.
From a philosophical point of view, Sophie learns about questions like who she is, how she was born, what forces created the universe, what keeps it going eternally, and where the Creator came from. The book mainly discusses existentialism from the perspective of Western philosophy.
Although philosophy is usually considered a boring subject, I personally didn’t find this book boring at all because the philosophical lessons are presented as a story through a single character.
P.S. Since the book is written from a Western philosophical perspective, many of its ideas conflict with Islamic beliefs. So, while reading it, one should stay cautious and keep this in mind.