Something Like Happy

Misery takes a back seat in this uplifting, humorous, and touching novel. Londoner Annie Hebden has given up hope of finding happiness. Her baby, Jacob, dies unexpectedly; her husband, Mike, leaves her for her best friend, Jane, and now, due to early-onset dementia, her mother, Annie’s given in to her despair. She loathes her job as a finance officer, neglects her flat, and barely communicates with her roommate. After visiting her mother in the hospital, a colorful whirlwind named Polly Leonard barrels into Annie. In Annie, Polly believes she has found the perfect person to assist her in her latest, and final, project: One Hundred Happy Days. Polly may only have 100 days left, as she’s got terminal brain cancer (a tumor lovingly named Bob), and refuses to let her remaining time be miserable or go unnoticed. Reluctantly, Annie agrees to Polly’s plan to do or think of one happy thing a day. Soon, Polly has commandeered Annie’s life, making her jump in fountains, ride roller coasters, and listen to orchestras. Annie realizes that Polly is dying far better than Annie has ever lived, so maybe happiness does have a place in her life after all. Delightful page-turning awaits readers, even with Polly’s inevitable finale. Polly is a wonderful character with a positively infectious attitude—memorable and magnetic, with a healthy dose of gallows humor. Joy shines through the tears, as this novel is a life lesson that should not be ignored. (Sept.)