The Secret (of Happiness) by Demosthenes Armeniades

I have to start off by saying that what first attracted me to this book was the cover. It seems lately there has been an influx of self-help books promising us that elusive key to happiness, success and peace. The slightly ominous “business man” walking away from the reader, perhaps out a door or onto a stage, intrigued me. Are these keys to the wisdom of happiness merely a business model? Is corporate greed behind it all? Are we so willing to buy any product if it promises us this happiness for which we so eagerly strive? If judging a book by its cover can lead you into a world so riveting and intriguing, then I will recommend it to everyone! I am so glad that I picked up The Secret (of happiness)!

A long time ago in an England ruled by the evil King Henry VII, two young boys—one a prince, the other a pauper—switched places and the story of how each adapted to the other’s world and how each found the “king” within themselves was the material that Mark Twain relied upon in writing The Prince and the Pauper, which captured the world of Tudor England with astounding accuracy. So too does this remarkable and savagely witty debut novel by Demosthenes Armeniades, The Secret (of happiness), capture the 21^st Century world of the mega rich, the mega famous, the mega glamorous, and the mega everything.

The point of the book, as the title suggests, is the quest for earthly happiness by one of the richest men in the world, Max Simon, as well as by a recent Harvard law graduate, David Finnegan. Max is an eccentric billionaire who runs his business, appropriately called Halcyon, from a tropical island. Similarities to Sir Richard Branson of the Virgin Group are purely intentional. David’s fiancé has already picked out their apartment in New York after he had been recruited by a top Wall Street law firm when—much to her disapproval—he elects to work for Max Simon at five times the salary. And so begins the wild, whirlwind ride across continents, over oceans and mountains, and even up into the stratosphere to seal multi-gazillion dollar business deals, to search out the world’s wisest Hindu mystic to explain the truths of existence, to commune with the rich, the famous, and the beautiful, all to find the answer to that existential question: what is the secret of happiness?

Demosthenes Armeniades, himself a Harvard law graduate, who plies his international law trade between Moscow and Paris, has an excellent grasp—perhaps from first-hand knowledge—of the people and places that populate this brilliant debut novel. We come across the iconic “waitress with a heart of gold” only here she’s a Wall-Mart cashier, the trusted, but cut-throat, Machiavellian business associate, the opportunistic corporate lawyer whose very lifestyle, automobiles (including a Maserati and a Porsche), home in the Hamptons, and penthouse apartment overlooking the park depend on doing exactly what benefits him the most, and a cast of equally quirky characters.

When fate turns everything upside down, Max ends up penniless and David trades places to become the head of Halcyon—there are similarities to Max becoming the Dan Aykroyd character and David becoming the Eddie Murphy character in the movie “Trading Places,” which has similar engaging elements. Max had already learned that “accomplishment breeds accomplishment”; however, he finally comes to realize that his failure to feel happiness wasn’t the disease. Rather, it was a “signpost to the cure.” David’s selfish life choice, on the other hand, causes the loss of his love, and no matter how glittering were his successes, they were meaningless without the love of someone with whom to share them.

The Secret (of happiness) is a fast-paced, offbeat, fairytale thriller charged with suspense until the final word. Literally. It is at once biting in its satire and deft in its execution. We expect that this impressive start will mark the beginning of a highly successful literary career.