A Way to Be Happy, by Caroline Adderson. Pub 2024

This book was a birthday gift last year, from a good friend and colleague with whom I meet regularly for lunch and discussion. For our birthdays, we often exchange books, and I always find something new and interesting in these gifts.

Short stories are a tricky space. The author must get the reader engaged early in the characters and situation and resist the urge to answer everything – to close off every angle of the story. A short story collection also must have variety; each story should stand on its own, without reminiscence of the other stories (except for thematic links). When done poorly, the stories can be a slog, where the reader flips ahead to see what’s next or sighs with disappointment when a story turns out to be too like a previous one.

In reading the book jacket and author bio, I was surprised to find a local author with such an impressive resume I’d never heard of. I was wary – was this just marketing? Thankfully, I eventually got over my hesitation, and dove in. This book was a delight, and a marvellous story collection. The theme is the search for happiness in the most ordinary sense – not joy, with all its attendant fireworks and drama, but ordinary happiness, even just in the form of lack of sadness. The characters are seeking a place beyond their current worries, struggles, and fears to bring them peace, calm, and – well – happiness; even if it’s not what most people would see as “happy”, for them it is.

Some of my favourite story collections were one-offs. Fierce by Hannah Holborn, The Opposite of Loneliness by Marina Keegan, Table for Two by Amor Towles (although he may write more). They are true gems of books for revisiting over time, with images and elements that stick with me. This book will now live on that list.

I was pleased to find Adderson has several other books available, including some interesting looking novels. I’ll check those out sometime.

Fate: staying with me for future rereading.

4 – published 2024
8 – female author
18 – short stories
25 – new author to me
27 – a gift
33 – Canadian