"A compelling dive into the pain of a modern dating relationship, this is uncomfortable, unsettling, and absolutely fascinating."
At times uncomfortable and wince inducing, this relationship tale is most definitely not a romance. If you want to fall in love with your characters and delight in happily ever after then you might want to step away, or do you? Meet Chuck and Joey, flawed, complicated, and searching for, well, something as they begin to date.
Author Jem Calder has created a relationship that feels as though it could be being lived right now at this moment. The two leads aren’t necessarily likeable, even as you can empathise and feel their individual uncertainty, I found myself floating above and bearing witness rather than sinking into and becoming a part of the story.
The authenticity of each person pursuing their own understanding of the relationship is fascinating and so I’ve chosen this as a Liz Pick. Compelling and provocative, I Want You To Be Happy is a contemporary realistic tale of two people coming together yet struggling to connect.
Chuck and Joey meet in a bar. He's in his mid-thirties; she's twelve years younger. He's long abandoned his ambition of becoming a novelist and now works as a copywriter at a big ad agency. 'Lead copywriter,' he corrects himself. Joey lives paycheck to paycheck on her barista wages and privately dreams of making it as a poet.
| Primary Genre | Modern and Contemporary Fiction |
| Other Genres: | |
| Recommendations: |
Chuck and Joey meet in a bar. He's in his mid-thirties; she's twelve years younger.
I Want You to Be Happy features in the following genres: Liz Robinson's Picks of the Month, General Fiction, Literary Fiction, Modern and Contemporary Fiction, Romance / Relationship Stories, Modern and Contemporary Fiction, Narrative theme: Identity / belonging, Narrative theme: Love and relationships
Paperback, Book. £13.49, down from the £14.99 cover price. In Stock.
I Want You to Be Happy was written by Jem Calder and published by Faber & Faber
I Want You to Be Happy has 240 pages
£13.49, reduced from £14.99. In Stock.
