I was excited to read Happiness and Love because I love books set over the course of a single evening. With its dinner party setting, this one seemed like the perfect fit. The narrator, visiting NYC after the loss of a dear friend, finds herself surrounded by her old, pretentious social circle—only to realize she has completely outgrown them. Not only does she no longer relate to them, but she actively dislikes them.

My biggest struggle with this book was its complete lack of division—no chapters, no breaks, not even bullet points. While I typically enjoy stream-of-consciousness writing, this felt more like one long, unbroken run-on sentence. I understand what the author was aiming for, but I think the story would have been more effective as a novella.

So witty, so smart, so funny, so bright, so delightful! I love books set in one day/night, and Zoe Dubno is masterful at handling pacing and time alongside humor and satire. I LOL'ed and winced and loved every minute!

HAPPINESS AND LOVE takes the reader into the art world in New York City. Written as though as stream of consciousness (no chapters or paragraphs), the story revolves around the main character who finds herself attending a dinner party after the recent death of her best friend. The party is for a famous actress who arrives well beyond fashionably late with other arrogant, self-conceited artists in attendance. Sitting on the couch (of course a very expensive one), she takes in and observes the type of people she had left behind. It's definitely not a warm book, as it felt more cold, distant, and critical which I believe was the author's intent. A unique writing style that I'm sure some readers will love and some not so much.

Thank you to Scribner and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

This book is definitely going to be divisive. Unfortunately it just didn’t work for me. I understand that the main character is not likable, but being inside her brain that long was too much for me. I think readers will either love this or hate it. Unfortunately for me, I am the latter.

What an unforgettable read.

Zoe Dubno’s Happiness and Love is a brilliant, acerbic stream-of-consciousness novel that calls to mind the story of Thomas Bernhard’s Woodcutters. We follow a young woman trapped—physically and emotionally—at a dinner party hosted by people she once called friends but now views with increasing disdain.

Set in a massive Manhattan apartment and populated by the worst kind of self-obsessed elitists, the evening spirals into a psychological reckoning. Ostensibly, the dinner is in memory of Rebecca, the narrator’s estranged friend, a recently deceased actress. But as the night drags on, the real reason for the gathering becomes clear: it's not a memorial at all, but a celebration for a rising star, a young celebrity who represents everything hollow in the culture the narrator detests.

What follows is an unraveling—of false friendships, of performative grief and of the cult of fame. Told in one long, biting monologue, Happiness and Love is both a character study and a cultural takedown, culminating in a finale led by the guest of honor that is as satisfying as it absolutely scathing!

Just as it's muse, the Woodcutters, Happiness and Love is a iconic critique of consumerism, self-obsession, and the emptiness of modern social performance—all in under 200 pages.

#Scribner #HappinessAndLove #ZoeDubno #literaryfiction #dinnerpartyfromhell #thomasbernhardvibes

This book is absolutely brutal.
All the narrative happens inside the protagonist head during a single night, as she attends a dîner party after her estranged friend's funeral.
All her thoughts are pure vitriol.
I loved the talent of the protagonist to dissect the worst flaws of the people around her, to the point of cruelty, and as her thoughts unravelled, her own hypocrisy became more and more difficult to stand.
It is definitely a very original and impactful read.
I think the writing is great. It is very raw, and has interesting even somehow funny moments but honestly it was a tough read and I'm glad it was short one, I'm not sure I could have stomach more of it.

I truly think this has become a new favorite book of mine. There’s nothing I love more than books that dress down pseudo-intellectual rich people, and this one absolutely delivered. I once again think of the Virginia Woolf quote about how people read fiction like it’s gossip- this book absolutely fits that description. At first I didn’t know what to make of the structure of the prose, as it is all one continuous paragraph and uses run-on sentences. However, rather than feeling sloppy, this style of writing really allows you to sink deeply into it and take it all in as it bombards you with absolute insanity. A very fun read, I’d recommend it to anyone who has been a part of the art world in any capacity.

Thanks to Netgalley and Scribner for the ebook. This is a pretty amazing achievement for a first novel that is one long, angry (also observant and very funny) screed about falling into the cult of the New York art world, escaping to Europe and then, running out of a viable visa, right back in New York and ambushed to rejoin this despised group for one night only under the guise of celebrating one who has just passed away, but that only turns into a night to try and claw a famous actress into their clutches, only to have the actress speak simply and eviscerate the whole room. Even though this short novel is written without chapter or paragraph breaks, she still takes her time identifying each major character, showing the ways that first attracted her, only to find their deadly flaws by the end. It’s quite a performance.