Happy Life

Éric Kherson navigates a life steeped in routine and quiet dissatisfaction, a forty-year-old employee at Decathlon whose days feel increasingly devoid of meaning. His personal life offers little solace, marked by a distant relationship with his son and a complex dynamic with his mother. A chance encounter with Amélie, an ambitious former classmate, leads him on an unexpected journey to Seoul, where their professional mission takes an unforeseen turn. In South Korea, Éric discovers the "Happy Life" agency, a unique program offering participants the experience of their own simulated funeral. This ritual, involving writing an epitaph, choosing a funeral photo, and lying in a closed coffin, is designed as a form of shock therapy to prompt a profound re-evaluation of one's existence. As Éric undergoes this extraordinary experience, he is confronted with the choices he has made and the life he has lived, setting him on a path to reconsider what truly matters and to seek a more authentic way of being. This novel invites readers to reflect on their own aspirations, the pursuit of happiness, and the transformative power of confronting one's mortality to truly embrace life.