'Philosophical, funny, cleverly structured, unpredictable' Gabrielle Zevin



If a machine could offer a prescription for happiness but you might not like the results would you take the test?


Eat more tangerines. Divorce your wife. Cut off your right index finger. The Apricity machine's recommendations are often surprising, but they're 99.97% guaranteed to make you happier. Pearl works for Apricity - meaning happiness is her job - but her teenage son Rhett seems more content to be unhappy, and refuses to submit to the test. Is Pearl failing as a mother and in her job - and does she even believe in happiness any more?


Warm, witty and utterly charming, The Happiness Machine is where A Visit from the Goon Squad meets Where'd You Go Bernadette.


First published as Tell the Machine Goodnight.