num_pages: 288
description: When a man discovers his father in New York has long had another secret familya wife and two kidsthe interlocking fates of both families lead to surprise loyalties love triangles and a reservoir of inner strength.Ethan a young lawyer in New York learns that his father has long kept a second familya Thai wife and two kids living in Queens. In the aftermath of this revelation Ethan's mother spends a year working abroad returning much changed and events introduce her to the other wife. Across town Ethan's half brothers are caught in their own complicated journeys: one brother's penchant for minor delinquency has escalated and the other must travel to Bangkok to bail him out while the bargains their mother has struck about love and money continue to shape their lives.As Ethan finds himself caught in a love triangle of his own the interwoven fates of these two households elegantly unfurl to encompass a woman rallying to help an ill brother with an unreliable lover and a filmmaker with a girlhood spent in Nepal. Evoking a generous and humane spirit and a story that ranges over three continents Secrets of Happiness elucidates the ways people marshal the resources at hand to forge their own forms of joy.
language: English
title: Secrets of Happiness
publisher: Counterpoint