Farrar, Straus and Giroux
The first novel by English author Jem Calder, I want to be happy, Reports from the front lines of modern-day dating. His book is good – but the news is not good.
A man of about 30, who has recently broken off his engagement with his long-term girlfriend, meets a young woman in a crowded London bar. She’s a copywriter, he’s a 23-year-old barista. Despite his intentions not to talk about their breakup, he finds himself “yelling specific details straight into her ear.” “Too intense,” she yells back. He apologizes. “No-no, I like it,” she screams. “It’s like boarding a plane. You carry your luggage first.”
Both of them cannot think what to say next. After “mutual silence punctuated by repeated noises”, they share a few drinks, quip about their first names (Chuck and Joey), their 12-year age difference and his lack of what he calls a “real job”. They arrive at her luxury apartment, which is much nicer than her crowded shared flat.
In other words, Calder’s characters have boarded a plane, luggage first – without any thought as to where they would land. Will this lead to a real relationship, let alone happiness?
Calder made a splash with his first book, reward system, A collection of six interconnected short stories about young adults connected to social media who feel disoriented and isolated in today’s fragmented digital world. The title of one story, “Distraction from sadness is not the same thing as happiness,” could also work for this closely observed, sad-but-sympathetic novel about the caged, nervous dance that characterizes the modern-day mating game.
Chuck and Joey are cautious and uncertain. We know them better than we know each other – their insecurities and frustrations with themselves as well as others. Their fundamental imbalances – age, finances, commitment levels – lead to a shaky relationship. The discovery that they share literary aspirations (poetry for him, prose for her) and write around their day jobs opens up the possibility of some kind of bond. Their nascent relationship awakens “a dormant sense of possibility” in both of them. But the talent gap leaves a gap. (I won’t say who has more.)
Joy is hopeful, always on stand-by to text: “A new person who finds you interesting makes you feel new,” she muses in this tight, third-person narrative that alternates between male and female perspective. Interestingly, although the author is male, the female character seems much more sympathetic.
Joy understands that she has to wait before replying to messages, as responding too quickly shows “underlying neediness and desperation”. Chuck generally abstains from all aspects of his life – with alcohol as his chosen support system. It is important for both of them to convey carelessness. No one wants to come across as a “tryer.”
Of course, there’s nothing new about this: doubting yourself, waiting by the phone, playing hard to get, “behaving without commitment in the hopes of getting what you want.” It’s the same old story with modern electronic devices.
Both characters are addicted to instant gratification: brand name status items, food delivered by a cyclist, push notifications, Instagram scrolling, podcasts, alcohol, smoking, vaping, sex, screens. They’re constantly plugged in and online, compulsively checking their media feeds. One night, trying to distract herself from “recurring worries” about her finances and future, Joy “spends twenty minutes of her non-returnable life researching the timeline of the relationship between an actor she liked and a musician she didn’t like as much.”
Calder writes with precision, combining the activities of his generation with a mixture of interjections and verbs to convey the mechanical roteness of their daily activities. These are the people who regularly “gaze-unlock” their phones, “V-60-ed” some coffee, and “proceed” up to open plan spaces at work, where, due to the lack of designated cubicles, they “hot-desk” and then “check out for work.” And at the end of the day, they “cheered” the drink.
i want to be happy Novel-length would have packed more punch. Yet readers of all generations should be able to connect with these characters’ waves of frustrating loneliness, if not how they deal with it. Older readers may remember their worries about the future – but most are relieved they’re no longer there.
