Please note that I received this via NetGalley. This did not affect my rating or review.
Well this is weird. This is a short story collection I enjoyed from beginning to end. Some of the stories were fairly long, some were short, but all hit me in a place of just missing people. I think the title, “Are You Happy?” is asking a question and one wonders if it was a question the author wanted to ask certain characters. Most of the nine stories focus on LGBTQ+ characters throughout different years/decades. You don’t follow the same people, though two characters I recall had a cat named Gertrude and that threw me off. Many of the characters live in or near Albuquerque which I got a kick out of since I was just there for my birthday in January.
See below for a short description of the stories:
1. The Bus Driver. This whole story was so dang sad and be prepared for a trigger warning about statutory rape. The main character is having regrets over the falling out with her former best friend Jane who went a totally different way than her after high school. I liked the questions it asked though, how much of this was just Jane herself seeking something else, the teacher (who took advantage), and the main character for not saying anything. The ending…wow.
2. The Gap Year. Oh. This was so sad. Be prepared for it.
3. Are You Happy? The main character, Phil is dealing with everything that came after he, his mother, and aunt survived a plane crash. Phil was tired of being something he was not, and wanted a different life and got one. But he also kept his new life from his family since he didn’t want them to tarnish it for him. The ending was sad though.
4. Clear as Cake. A young woman learning to “write” and really realizing she’s not a writer. But at times you can see her getting the hint of what everything is all about, but backing away from it. This took place during the 1980s I recall which to me help set up a lot of what this story was about.
5. The Peeping Toms. A couple, Clarice and Miriam are dealing with an older relative and a series of peeping toms throughout their lives. The reveal of who is the peeping tom at the end of this one just honestly made me sad. The whole story felt sad honestly.
6. The Stalker. This one was grim to me too after the last story. An adjunct teacher whose name I don’t recall getting is dealing with one of her students stalking her. And I had to wonder if he was meant to be depicted this way or not. I think nowadays many would argue that he’s on the spectrum because of how he talked. This is also the second story featuring a cat named Gertrude.
7. Aaron Englund and the Great Great. I felt sad while reading. A young 5 year old boy and his family (who do not like each other at all) go to visit Aaron’s mother’s uncle August. Aaron’s father just seemed like an ass from beginning to end of this story.
8. A Little Customer Service. A woman named Tara gets involved in a romance with Gretchen, who is 17 years older than her and rich. Just a story of Tara realizing that she’s giving up a lot to be in this relationship.
9. Just Another Family: A Novella. This one was the longest of the stories in the collection. I liked it and thought it anchored everything that came before it.