What an arbitrary tale this was! Sure, it is an interesting exploration of happiness or at least how we, as humans, choose to be happy. But then again, it can be a slow meandering read for the more impatient types.

A Happy Man, as the title suggests, is about a jazz musician who is content with his life. He is married to the woman he loves, he has a slightly antsy yet lovable child and he adores his job. It's beginning to sound like a too-good-to-be-true children's story. Well, as the reader dives into the second part of the novel, they discover that the main protagonist is not living a trouble-free life. Rather, he prefers to look on the positive aspects of his life and be happy as opposed to becoming sad about what he cannot change. Thus, his child really is quite an annoyance and his wife suffers bouts of depression, two facts which is not immediately obvious when you first read about the main guy. On that note, the entire story is not tinged with rosy tones; there is a disturbing end which, nonetheless, retains the overall 'let's be happy' message.

The story is more about the author making an observation about human beings, rather than a carefully laid-out plot. Thus, it can be a tad boring if you expect major events to happen throughout the novel. Instead, the author comments on human tendencies by exploring the main protagonist's memories, views as well by indulging in descriptions of his surrounds.