Hector And The Search For Happiness, By Francois Lelord
Hector, the bespectacled star of this breezy novelette by the French happiness guru, Francois Lelord, is a young psychiatrist on a mission. Depressed that that he can't make his patients happy either with pills or platitudes, he sets out on a journey around the world to find the secret of true happiness. His encounters include conversations with wealthy financiers, charming Chinese students and eminent professors.
Served up as a series of philosophical bonne bouches, Hector's lessons for life may verge on the banale - make sure to be good to your friends, be loved for who you are, take holidays in the sun - but their effect is unexpectedly cheering. The book has been billed as a 'feelgood gem' and it has so far sold over two million copies - perhaps proving that it has made the world a happier place. The next book in the series by Lelord promises to reveal the secrets of l'amour.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies