THE SECRETS OF LIVING A FANTASTIC LIFE

This self-help book invites readers to transform their lives by embracing qualities like vulnerability, tenacity, and enthusiasm.

After his wife noticed him walking with a foot drop while vacationing with his family, Lycka, a cosmetic dermatologist, was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease and given six months to live. Unwilling to accept this diagnosis, he sought other opinions, only to find out it was actually chronic Lyme disease causing the foot problem. Similarly, former Vogue model Tinka survived her own trauma when she was brutally attacked by a former friend whom she had a restraining order against. Lycka and Tinka have come together to share 13 “golden pearls,” a metaphor for the lessons they learned through adversity. They remind readers that a pearl is created when a foreign body enters and irritates an oyster. Each chapter, named after one of these pearls, begins with a story related to that principle. For example, the chapter on inspiration begins with Lycka’s daughter learning to tie her shoelaces, followed by an explanation of the moral of the tale. The nonnegotiables chapter begins with a parable of a young man learning the secret of happiness from a wise man.

The guide consists of a dialogue between Lycka and Tinka, with playful banter. For instance, at one point, Lycka says: “Seeds are often best planted in the morning for the fruit that will grow later in the day.” Tinka calls the observation “a great vision.” Lycka replies: “Of course, I said it.” There is an appealing conversational tone throughout the volume. At one point, Lycka starts talking about his favorite movies, and in the chapter on laughter, he tells a joke. The way this work is written as a transcribed conversation between two trauma survivors certainly makes it unusual, but this format may not appeal to all readers. Still, the authors share some valuable advice here when they recommend that readers embrace vulnerability, exercise forgiveness, and keep a gratitude journal. But the authors’ approach to using epigraphs and quotes in the text becomes extremely heavy-handed. In the second chapter, there are six quotes in just five pages. An appendix compiles all of the quotes used in the text from people like Reese Witherspoon and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. as well as additional ones that the authors couldn’t fit in the dialogue. In some passages, Lycka and Tinka even quote themselves, which seems unnecessary in a work showcasing their own words. The volume would have benefitted from the authors being more judicious in their use of the quotes to support their themes. In addition, there are many intriguing books mentioned throughout the dialogue; it would have been helpful to include a further reading section at the end of the manual.

Trauma survivors reveal how to live fantastic lives in this useful, if quote-heavy, guide.