A happy man

by Hansjörg Schertenleib

"This book asks a simple question: Is it possible to write compellingly about a happy person? In the hands of celebrated (but never before translated into English) Swiss author Hansjorg Schertenleib, the answer is a resounding yes - because, as it turns out, even happy people are surrounded by unhappy people, which can make for considerable stress, and, well, what's a happy man to do?" "The hero of this book - whose name is, well, This - is a smart, interesting, quirky jazz musician ... with a wife suffering from depression, and a rebellious teenaged daughter. They find his contentedness more and more irritating. And yet This just can't help it - life makes him happy. And the mounting tension that results is beautifully set off by Schertenleib's lyrical prose, the smoky, watery setting of Amsterdam, and dialogue that's as quick and edgy as that of a noir movie." "Thus, a book that seems at first a writerly experiment becomes an intensifying tale of a simple bit of human hope holding on