This is a pop-philosophy book about the experiences of a British couple who live in Rishikesh, India for half the year. It tells the story of their encounters with a variety of colourful characters, including Rudra, an elder who takes Ray under his arm and begins to share his beliefs about living a successful life.

The teachings in the book are similar to those from ancient yoga and Buddhist philosophies and focus largely on non-attachment and the elimination of suffering. My concern with the book was the suggestion that in order to remove suffering, we need to sever ties to others and see their suffering as simply a part of our human ego, something that we cannot influence or prevent. I was concerned about this level of non-attachment and was unsure how it was consistent with the sister teaching of compassion.