HAPPY
Happy. A novel. Hardcover. 262 pages. Published by Astra House (US) and Wildfire (UK) on November 14, 2023. Cover by Alex Merto. Pre-order the novel here.
Following starry-eyed cinephile Happy Singh Soni from a village in Punjab to pursue his dreams in Europe, Happy is a polyphonic novel about the artful coping mechanisms created by generations of diasporic people.
Set against the politics of migrant labor within the food industry, Celina Baljeet Basra’s luminous debut argues for the things that are essential to human survival: food, water, a place to lay one’s head, but also pleasure, romance, art, and the inalienable right to a vivid inner life.
"Playful, funny, and wildly free, Happy inhabits the seam between beauty and tragedy. A miraculous novel."
Meghan Mamjudar
"A bonkers story that reads like a fine ten-course meal."
Gary Shteyngart
"With an innovative form that is simultaneously playful and profound, Celina Baljeet Basra’s HAPPY is outstanding! From the first to the final pages, I was completely charmed by Happy and his crew as they made their treacherous journey towards dreams of a better life. Using wry humour to deliver a dead serious message with laser-sharp lightness, Basra gives depth and definition to the unjust and inhumane conditions facing many migrants and undocumented workers. Read this book."
Melissa Fu