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The Happiness Show (Catherine Deveny, Black Inc.)

In The Happiness Show, Australian comedian and writer Catherine Deveny turns her hand to fiction for the first time. The result is a lively, if a little predictable, blend of love, sex and light-hearted social commentary, delivered with Deveny’s trademark dry wit. The novel follows comedian and mum Lizzie Quealy, 38, who thinks she’s got her life sorted—but has she really? On a business trip to London, Lizzie bumps into ex-boyfriend Tom, the great ‘what if?’ of Lizzie’s backpacking years. Will she risk everything for a second chance with Tom? Deveny has a keen eye for topical issues and the complications of modern life, and Lizzie’s dilemma will be perfect fodder for book clubs. The Happiness Show isn’t without its flaws: Deveny’s characters fire off one-liners like they’re living in a sitcom, and the plotting feels a little haphazard at times. But her cast are vividly drawn and likeable, and Deveny’s honesty and humour give a familiar romantic dilemma a fresh edge. The Happiness Show is a great summer read with broad commercial appeal.

Carody Culver is a bookseller at Black Cat Books in Brisbane, a PhD student and a freelance reviewer

 

Category: Reviews