A review by tahirarani
Hector and the Search for Happiness by François Lelord

2.0

I am not really sure how Hector and the Search for Happiness became a best-seller. In fact, I found it fairly offensive mostly because I found "Hector" (who, as far as I understand it, represents the author) unlikeable. Primarily, his relationship with women is troubling as they are either fetishized, exoticized or objectified throughout the novel--Hector is constantly noticing how attractive women are, and commenting on this impulse as uncontrollably male, bleck. Secondly, most of the people Hector meets along the way (particularly those who reside/live in the country he is visiting) are tokenized or stereotyped. Perhaps Lelord tried to give some dimension to humanity, as that was one of the purposes of the book, but I felt as though he fell considerably short. Lastly, Hector's approach to his search is clearly privileged, and I consistently sensed something very smug about Hector's character, even when he was intentionally trying not to be.

This novel was entertaining enough, especially considering how brief it is. But in truth, I didn't find it particularly enjoyable.