Happiness

Barnes & Noble Discover Great New WritersDon't look too closely for the meaning of life in this fast-paced, remorselessly sharp-witted novel. Just when you think you've got it figured out, along comes Happiness? to tell you differently. Edwin de Valu is a cynical associate acquisitions editor in the self-help division of a trade publishing house. With his reputation at stake and a deadline looming, an eerie-looking 1,000-page manuscript adorned with daisy stickers and chockful of feel-good platitudes lands on his desk. Is it too good to be true? (Probably, but we'll get to that later.)Edwin grudgingly publishes the bloated, self-important work, titled What I Learned on the Mountain, and to everyone's surprise (especially Edwin's), it hits the big time with a message that sets off a chain of earth-shattering events. But the strangest effect of the "book" on its readership is that it makes them, well, nice. Needless to say, an unhappy band of rogue capitalists arrives to exact revenge on Edwin for precipitating the downfall of Western civilization. And to save his own life, Edwin is forced to embark on a search-and-destroy mission -- his sole object the demise of the self-help guru he helped create. Thank you, Will Ferguson, for reminding is that it's perfectly fine to be unhappy, because the alternative isn't all it's cracked up to be. (Summer 2002 Selection)