Happy Now?. A Novel

When the front door of the coach house swung open, Claire saw her dead husband’s cat trotting toward her. Happy Now? follows Claire Kessler’s chaotic and often tragicomic journey through the weeks that follow her husband Jay’s suicide---on Valentine’s Day. Nomie, Claire’s pregnant younger sister, welcomes Claire into her guest house and abandons her own husband in solidarity. Claire’s father turns into a concerned stalker, trailing her every movement in his car. Encounters with well-meaning therapists turn horribly awry, and Jay’s abandoned cat goes on a hunger strike. All the while, Jay’s extensive suicide note (binder, actually) looms on the coffee table, waiting for Claire to gather the courage to read it. With wit and compassion, Katherine Shonk explores both the possibilities and limitations of human relationships. Happy Now? is an uncommonly honest portrayal of love, loss, and letting go.