The Happiness Show (ePub)

She ached for him. She longed for him. She missed the way he made her feel and how funny and smart and sexy she felt with him. And young. She missed the version of herself that she had left behind.

At thirty-eight, Lizzie Quealy thinks she has things sorted: a happy relationship, a couple of gorgeous kids, a steadfast best friend and a career she loves. But when Lizzie bumps into Tom, an old flame from her globe-trotting twenties, her life begins to unravel.

Tom is her ‘unfinished business’: the man she might have spent her life with, if things had gone a little differently. Ten years on, the spark is still there – but how far is Lizzie prepared to go to recapture it, and at what cost?

Set in Melbourne, London and Bali, via Tokyo and the Trans-Siberian Express, The Happiness Show is a refreshingly honest story about love, fidelity and the messiness of second chances. Sexy and hilarious, it explores the rules and taboos of contemporary relationships – and what happens when they stand in the way of one woman’s pursuit of happiness.

‘A funny, feisty read. I was hooked from the first page.’ —Mia Freedman

‘Insightful, lusty and irreverent exploration of love and marriage. Great read.’ —Claudia Karvan

‘Lizzie Quealy is as irreverent, plain-spoken and open as you could wish for in a true blue Aussie heroine ... [The Happiness Show] looks at the serious issues of love, sex, ageing, parenthood and commitment with a light-hearted, cheeky charm.’ —Australian Women’s Weekly

‘A thoroughly enjoyable read.’ —MiNDFOOD

‘The Happiness Show will resonate with anyone who has looked back fondly at times of untethered responsibility ... Meatier than your average chick lit, The Happiness Show explores emotional and physical infidelity, but does so with humour rather than finger-wagging moralising.’ —Australian

‘The Happiness Show will resonate long after you’ve stopped laughing and long after you’ve finished the last page.’ —Hoopla

Catherine Deveny is a television comedy writer, comedian, author, social commentator and broadcaster well known for her work as columnist with the Age newspaper and as an ABC regular.