This Happy

By Niamh Campbell,

Book cover of This Happy

Book description

'A beautiful, wry love story' David Nicholls, author of ONE DAY

'I love this woman's writing. Golden sentences' Diana Evans, author of ORDINARY PEOPLE

'One of the year's most beautifully written books, THIS HAPPY traces the path to womanhood of Alannah from disastrous affair to no-less-comfortable marriage and beyond' The…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked This Happy as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Let’s be clear: the title is ironic. This is a love story, told mostly in retrospect. Well, it’s not love exactly. It’s sex. Or a kind of twisted idea of romance. It’s attraction anyway, not quite obsessive, but close.  And it’s mysterious. Who are these people? How do they connect to each other? How do they know each other? Do they even like each other? Why/why not?

The answers, if readers can identify them, are not reassuring. And yet... I loved this book, read it twice, straight off. It’s partly the descriptions of the physical world – natural and constructed…

Want books like This Happy?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like This Happy.

Browse books like This Happy

Book cover of Small Things Like These
Book cover of As You Were
Book cover of Haven

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,436

readers submitted
so far, will you?

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in Ireland, the Irish, and torture?

Ireland 309 books
The Irish 64 books
Torture 41 books