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A review by apechild
Hector and the Search for Happiness by Lorenza García, François Lelord
3.0
I won this on goodreads giveaways - perhaps as a promotional thing as the film of this book with Simon Pegg is coming out?
If you're looking for an amazing plot and deep characters, this book isn't going to fit the bill. Really it's more of a self-help book or a pyschology pondering on the meaning of happiness type book - all told through the medium of a fable or a fairstory. This isn't a story for kids, but it is told as if we are children. In fact, in one place when explaining something, it tells us that this is what grown-ups do. On the one hand its deceptively light, whilst giving plenty of food for thought, and made me ponder on the question of what is happiness. On the other hand you could be forgiven for finding it a wee bit condescending at times, with slight over tones of the stereotypical French male. This isn't a book that's going to get into the nitty gritty of mental illness, and neatly glosses over that subject. And the final paragraph perhaps sums up that slightly uncomfortable feeling I got now and then regarding the women in the book. Hector's workaholic girlfriend, Clara, is doing a lot better. He's been loving her more, and she appreciates it. So she's stopped working so hard, and started looking at babies. Wow girls, that's all we need to be happy? And it's the only way? Hmmm... ok, I shall try not to overthink things and just take this as a genteel male middle class fable on happiness.
I've written nothing of the plot! Hector is a physciatrist in France (it never says France, but come on, it so obviously is!). He's pondering on happiness, and why some of his patients, who have great lives, are miserable? So he decides to take a journey around the world to discover what happiness is. He goes to China, "Africa", the land of MORE, has casual sex here there and everywhere and writes his ponderings down in his notebook.
If you're looking for an amazing plot and deep characters, this book isn't going to fit the bill. Really it's more of a self-help book or a pyschology pondering on the meaning of happiness type book - all told through the medium of a fable or a fairstory. This isn't a story for kids, but it is told as if we are children. In fact, in one place when explaining something, it tells us that this is what grown-ups do. On the one hand its deceptively light, whilst giving plenty of food for thought, and made me ponder on the question of what is happiness. On the other hand you could be forgiven for finding it a wee bit condescending at times, with slight over tones of the stereotypical French male. This isn't a book that's going to get into the nitty gritty of mental illness, and neatly glosses over that subject. And the final paragraph perhaps sums up that slightly uncomfortable feeling I got now and then regarding the women in the book. Hector's workaholic girlfriend, Clara, is doing a lot better. He's been loving her more, and she appreciates it. So she's stopped working so hard, and started looking at babies. Wow girls, that's all we need to be happy? And it's the only way? Hmmm... ok, I shall try not to overthink things and just take this as a genteel male middle class fable on happiness.
I've written nothing of the plot! Hector is a physciatrist in France (it never says France, but come on, it so obviously is!). He's pondering on happiness, and why some of his patients, who have great lives, are miserable? So he decides to take a journey around the world to discover what happiness is. He goes to China, "Africa", the land of MORE, has casual sex here there and everywhere and writes his ponderings down in his notebook.