A beautiful and affecting novel -- bittersweet and comic -- on the elusive nature of happiness

Maggie is in her early thirties, gainfully employed, between relationships, and ready for change -- although not in the ways or to the degree that unfolds in Anne Giardini's The Sad Truth About Happiness.

Maggie's roommate, Rebecca, devises questionnaires for women's magazines, and she is convinced her newest quiz can predict the exact date of death of anyone who answers the questions honestly. When Maggie tries the test, she learns that she is scheduled to die before her next birthday -- the fact that she has answered "No" to the question "Are you happy?" appears to have shaved decades off her life. Only if Maggie can become happy in her three remaining months can she perhaps prevent the prediction from coming true.

With wry comedy, Maggie's life becomes considerably more complicated from that very moment, since her quest for happiness attracts both admirers and challenges. The true test comes when, through a mad tangle of circumstance, Maggie finds herself on the run with her sister Lucy's newborn son. The often unexpected power of friendships and family, the universal pull toward a home, and a more intense relationship with the world all leave Maggie and the reader with a new awareness of the evanescent joys of happiness, which we all long for, but can seldom seek directly or hold for longer than an instant.

Combining a spirited fairy tale plot with an eloquent mediation on the nature of happiness, The Sad Truth About Happiness by Anne Giardini is a luminous first novel by the daughter of the late Carol Shields. Written during her mother's final struggle with breast cancer, The Sad Truth About Happiness shares much in common with Shields's haunting last novel, Unless. Giardini was a columnist for the National Post for three years and is the author or numerous essays, stories and articles. She is one of five children, and lives in Vancouver.

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“Giardini’s peripatetic style reveals an attractive curiosity about the infinite variety in people’s lives, both happy and sad.”

Washington Post Book World

“Charming…a pleasantly entertaining journey.”

Publishers Weekly

“First-time novelist Anne Giardini delivers a powerful story [and] a character for the ages.”

BookPage

“A touching read...[that] may remind us of Carol Shields in its sensitive handling of rich characters and domestic detail.”

Library Journal (starred review)

“A confident voice and a luminous lyrical prose style.”

Boston Globe

“Giardini deserves applause for her debut effort. She clearly demonstrates a talent for distilling moments that touch the human heart.”

Atlanta Journal-Constitution

“A fully formed new voice, poignant, funny and acute.”

Fay Weldon, author of Wicked Women

“Giardini appreciates the difference between happy enough and deeper satisfaction, and parses these nuances with an appealingly light touch.”

New York Newsday