Stories explore possible paths to happiness

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This article was published 19/10/2024 (650 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Is happiness attainable? Caroline Adderson’s third short-story collection, A Way to be Happy, explores this complex question.

Adderson is by no means a newcomer the Canadian literary scene; she has an impressive list of accolades behind her name, teaches at Simon Fraser University and is the program director of the Writing Studio at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. Her latest was recently longlisted for the 2024 Giller Prize — an illustrious achievement despite the political turmoil surrounding the award this year.

A Way to be Happy covers a wide range of worldviews as Adderson explores themes of toxic masculinity, existentialism, sexuality, attachment, environmental concerns and mental illness. Her characters struggle to come to terms with themselves or their situation, where nothing is as simple as it may seem and the line between right and wrong becomes blurred.

What makes this collection especially compelling is the breathing space between each story, where there are more questions than answers. Each protagonist is unique, the voice of each story changes, and not all the endings offer complete resolution.

Rather, A Way to be Happy offers a wide range of perspectives, placing the protagonists in a varied rhythm of mundane and extreme situations and presenting a refreshing mosaic of the human experience.

The story Homing functions to introduce the main questions the collection asks as a whole. Adderson offers the story of an older woman who chooses to leave her husband and take a job in a different city, where she must form new relationships and deliberately rebuild her life from scratch. The prior story, The Procedure, ends with the protagonist feeling isolated, so having Homing follow offers a sense of hope that carries through the rest of the collection. It asks questions — Where do we make our home? With whom do we belong? Who is our family? — that become the engine of this collection.

The final story, From the Archives of the Hospital for the Insane, ends with a formal medical certificate declaring the protagonist, Margaret, insane. It’s a cold and formal way to end the collection, but also a statement of empowerment; Margaret was clearly in control of her fate and manipulated the system to escape her marriage.

By ending the collection with this story, Adderson acknowledges the harsh judgment society often imposes on those brave enough to change paths; it’s an invitation to look deeper.

When seeking happiness, there is always a cost. The journey is never simplistic, and when it comes to complexity, Adderson is a master.

Carrie Hatland is director of youth programming for the Manitoba Writers’ Guild.