This novel is a dystopian science fiction novel, portraying a world where our government is trying to solve humanities many problems and issues, such as climate change, inequality, over-population, poverty, and injustice; but they have no solution.

In fact, they have hit a wall and the people in their society want answers yesterday. Falling to the pressure or fear of what might be done to them if they go to the next press conference and speak honestly that they simply don’t know; two appointed government officials decide to accept an offer presented to them by one of the many convincing corporations they get emails from daily and get the go ahead to send it up the chain of command.

This particular email was from a company named Meno who focuses on pharmaceuticals and moonlights as philosophers it seems. Meno is offering them an alternative take on all the worlds problems. An intriguing idea known as perspective. They propose the simple idea that the problem was their citizens were too aware of the issues. That questioning and awareness has led them down a path of dread and sorrow that might not have a cure. Meno simply asks, not that the government stops looking for answers but to offer the citizens a break from this burden that is questioning. This constant pursuit of happiness that can be supplied to them by their doctor if they just approve it. A cure that allows everyone to get what they truly want after all, the belief that nothing is wrong, and they are in fact happy after all.

Yet, like most things that are laced with what they could convince themselves were good intentions, this became a growing problem that forced them to push further and further down the line of influence. What started as a simple amnesia drug they coined so naively, ‘the cure’, that allowed their citizens to simply forget about these major issues. Grew to a drug that turned them into nothing more than sheep in their now grey hued society. For if they can’t remember their passions and preferences, they can be satisfied with the simplest of things. If they can’t remember the harm that has been done, then they won’t feel the need to fix it.

However, despite Meno’s best efforts they couldn’t quite contain everyone, and they allowed a small community in the mountains to exist under the false pretenses of being a sanctuary away from the cure. Just as long as they kept to themselves and didn’t bother fighting them.

That was of course before a strong-willed mother from the city of Meno escaped to Kairos with her husband Tom and their two kids, Lily and John. Having been a scientist in the city with a passion for the creative arts she saw the oppression firsthand, in fact her and Tom were part of the rare few that remembered what it was like before the cure and vowed to teach their children what the root of true happiness really was and even more so, to take down the organization that worked to suppress it in hopes of saving the future of humanity and redeeming those they lost along the way. Mino allowed them to ‘escape’ there, never fearing how much Penelope could influence the people of Kairos. Never fearing a revolution could occur.

This novel focuses on two different time periods and two main characters intertwining their narrative to answer a simple question. What is the root of John’s happiness and why does his society not want him to know the answer? The story focuses on two people in particular; a man named John and his mother Penelope. Their relationship builds a contrast on influence and importance of what we are raised to believe, what we experience, and how propaganda can dictate whole sociological structures.

A frightened and strong mother, and the son who grew up being encouraged to question, to love, and fight for the beauty in life shows a mirroring of what happiness really looks like in a world so far removed from such concepts. A society so frightened by their lack of answers to all the problems we have caused, that they believe the questioning is the true problem and it will only lead to sorrow.