Self-help books always seem like a great idea when you’re stood in Borders the book shop, when you’re all motivated to change your life and find out where you’ve been going wrong for so long. Get the book home and after a few draconian chapters, it’s often banished to the bookcase, the road to zen inevitably halted.
So, that’s why I’m so pleased to have found Hector and the Search For Happiness, by French psychiatrist and author François Lelord. Written in an innocent, childlike style, reminiscent of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s Le Petit Prince, the novel follows despondent psychiatrist Hector on a round-the-world trip to find out what makes people happy.
On his travels, Hector encounters an investment banker, a call girl, a drug dealer and a woman with a dangerous tumour, from whom he learns valuable lessons on happiness from their experiences and outlooks on life.
Hector finds himself in situations far removed from his dull life with girlfriend Clara and even has a close brush with kidnapping and death.
One of the main themes of the book is determining the difference between long-term happiness and fleeting moments of joy, with both being key to an fulfilled existence. No pleasure is too small or superficial for Hector who finds a passing thrill in being upgraded to Business Class, sipping champagne and being given the VIP treatment – well, wouldn’t we all?
I tend not to reread books, as there’s still so much to get through on my lifetime reading list, but Hector’s happiness list is worth going back to and even copying out for when you’re feeling down or lost. You might just find out what really makes you eternally happy.
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