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Table of Contents
About The Book
One of Vogue’s Best Books of the Year
“Reading the novel is akin to spending time with a witty if merciless observer of other people’s idiocies. There’s something of a latter-day Holden Caulfield about the narrator…it possesses an enlivening, claustrophobic charge.” —The Spectator
Following a young woman over the course of one outrageous and insufferable downtown dinner party at the home of her estranged best friends—an artist and curator couple, whom she now realizes stands for everything she detests—Happiness and Love is a “deliciously scathing” (Vogue UK) debut novel about brazen materialism, self-obsession, and the empty careerism of so-called cultural elites.
From her perch on the corner of a white sofa, in the beautiful apartment of terrible people, our narrator watches the assembled group of artists, writers, and hangers-on and silently, mercilessly eviscerates them in a “nervy and blisteringly funny” (The Wall Street Journal) monologue.
“Told in a single long, savage and hilarious paragraph,” this is a novel that can be read “in one delicious go” (Financial Times): the story of an evening that slowly self-destructs, as the guests sip orange wine and await the arrival of a newly famous actress. When the guest of honor finally does arrive, she sets in motion a disastrous end to the evening, laying bare the depravity and decadence of the hosts’ empty little lives—a hollowness that the narrator herself knows all too well.
“Reading the novel is akin to spending time with a witty if merciless observer of other people’s idiocies. There’s something of a latter-day Holden Caulfield about the narrator…it possesses an enlivening, claustrophobic charge.” —The Spectator
Following a young woman over the course of one outrageous and insufferable downtown dinner party at the home of her estranged best friends—an artist and curator couple, whom she now realizes stands for everything she detests—Happiness and Love is a “deliciously scathing” (Vogue UK) debut novel about brazen materialism, self-obsession, and the empty careerism of so-called cultural elites.
From her perch on the corner of a white sofa, in the beautiful apartment of terrible people, our narrator watches the assembled group of artists, writers, and hangers-on and silently, mercilessly eviscerates them in a “nervy and blisteringly funny” (The Wall Street Journal) monologue.
“Told in a single long, savage and hilarious paragraph,” this is a novel that can be read “in one delicious go” (Financial Times): the story of an evening that slowly self-destructs, as the guests sip orange wine and await the arrival of a newly famous actress. When the guest of honor finally does arrive, she sets in motion a disastrous end to the evening, laying bare the depravity and decadence of the hosts’ empty little lives—a hollowness that the narrator herself knows all too well.
Reading Group Guide
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This reading group guide for Happiness and Love includes an introduction, discussion questions, and ideas for enhancing your book club. The suggested questions are intended to help your reading group find new and interesting angles and topics for your discussion. We hope that these ideas will enrich your conversation and increase your enjoyment of the book.
Introduction
After fleeing the suffocating art world of New York for a new life in London, our narrator returns to the Bowery years later to attend a dinner party hosted by Eugene and Nicole, an artist-curator couple counted among the most pretentious circles of New York society. It’s the evening after the funeral of their mutual friend Rebecca, and though the narrator finds herself surrounded by old friends, she now looks on them in contempt. She despises herself for being lured back to the very world she sought to escape for a dinner party that isn’t even being thrown in the deceased Rebecca’s honor, but for up-and-coming actress who is by now several hours late. Through the narrator’s eyes, we watch as the dinner unfolds, setting into motion a disastrous end to an insufferable evening.
With razor sharp wit and a cutting critique of high society, Happiness and Love is a piercing novel about brazen materialism, self-obsession, and the empty careerism of so-called cultural elites.
Topics and Questions for Discussion
The narrator returns to a world she used to be a part of, now as an outsider in “the company of the worst vultures in the world” (page 65) at a party hosted by a “monstrous couple” (page 183). Discuss the reasons for the narrator’s attendance at the party. Have you had a similar experience of returning to a place as an outsider or accepting an invitation that you would rather have declined?
The narrator is subject to interrogation by her fellow partygoers: she’s asked whether she “had been privately educated, if [her] college had been prestigious and culturally relevant, or just prestigious, if [she] had grown up with intellectuals, or if [her] parents had lots of money” (page 83). How does the narrator’s class status play a role in her life as an artist or the way that she is perceived? Discuss the various ways in which class functions throughout the novel.
The narrator is scathingly critical of Eugene and Nicole—their taste, their superficiality, the way they treat their friends and acquaintances, and particularly their social climbing and empty careerism. How many of her critiques also apply to her own behavior? Is she complicit in some of the systems—around wealth and privilege, access to opportunities, and creative and artistic success—that she criticizes?
Consider the structure of the novel: the first-person point of view, the absence of paragraph breaks, and the use of italics. How does the structure impact your reading experience? How would your experience of the novel differ if it were told from a different perspective?
The narrator describes Rebecca as someone with a strong drive towards self-mythologizing, though not always with enough self-awareness to tell a compelling story. How did Rebecca use her personal narrative in her relationships with others? In Rebecca’s life, where was the conflict between the stories she told about herself and the way the narrator perceived her?
Happiness and Love takes place over the course of a dinner party, in a closed space, on one night. How does the setting constrain the action of the novel?
The narrator says that Alexander was one of the first people to take her seriously as a writer. How have her feelings about him changed by the time the novel begins? How have they evolved differently as artists?
What is the relationship between art and object for people like Nicole and Eugene? How does ownership change their view of the art and artists they surround themselves with?
How does the story portray the role sexual politics plays in the trajectory of up-and-coming artists? Identify are a few moments when sex and sexuality make a difference for a character’s career.
Why does the actress remain unnamed, and how does her late arrival complicate the dynamics among the party attendees? Discuss the ways the actress differed from or resembled the character you were expecting.
Imagine the novel from the perspective of another character. Discuss with your group how, say, Nicole would narrate the evening.
At the end of the book, the narrator wishes “happiness and love” for Alexander, Eugene, and Nicole, while also wishing for bad things to happen to them. What do you make of this? Can both be true?
Enhance Your Book Club
Attend an art-related event in your city—a gallery opening, an art show, a poetry reading, or a concert, etc. Observe the people around you. Can you draw any parallels between them and the characters who inhabit the art world in Happiness and Love?
Throw a dinner party! Invite a mystery guest and tell them to show up late. See what happens!
Introduction
After fleeing the suffocating art world of New York for a new life in London, our narrator returns to the Bowery years later to attend a dinner party hosted by Eugene and Nicole, an artist-curator couple counted among the most pretentious circles of New York society. It’s the evening after the funeral of their mutual friend Rebecca, and though the narrator finds herself surrounded by old friends, she now looks on them in contempt. She despises herself for being lured back to the very world she sought to escape for a dinner party that isn’t even being thrown in the deceased Rebecca’s honor, but for up-and-coming actress who is by now several hours late. Through the narrator’s eyes, we watch as the dinner unfolds, setting into motion a disastrous end to an insufferable evening.
With razor sharp wit and a cutting critique of high society, Happiness and Love is a piercing novel about brazen materialism, self-obsession, and the empty careerism of so-called cultural elites.
Topics and Questions for Discussion
The narrator returns to a world she used to be a part of, now as an outsider in “the company of the worst vultures in the world” (page 65) at a party hosted by a “monstrous couple” (page 183). Discuss the reasons for the narrator’s attendance at the party. Have you had a similar experience of returning to a place as an outsider or accepting an invitation that you would rather have declined?
The narrator is subject to interrogation by her fellow partygoers: she’s asked whether she “had been privately educated, if [her] college had been prestigious and culturally relevant, or just prestigious, if [she] had grown up with intellectuals, or if [her] parents had lots of money” (page 83). How does the narrator’s class status play a role in her life as an artist or the way that she is perceived? Discuss the various ways in which class functions throughout the novel.
The narrator is scathingly critical of Eugene and Nicole—their taste, their superficiality, the way they treat their friends and acquaintances, and particularly their social climbing and empty careerism. How many of her critiques also apply to her own behavior? Is she complicit in some of the systems—around wealth and privilege, access to opportunities, and creative and artistic success—that she criticizes?
Consider the structure of the novel: the first-person point of view, the absence of paragraph breaks, and the use of italics. How does the structure impact your reading experience? How would your experience of the novel differ if it were told from a different perspective?
The narrator describes Rebecca as someone with a strong drive towards self-mythologizing, though not always with enough self-awareness to tell a compelling story. How did Rebecca use her personal narrative in her relationships with others? In Rebecca’s life, where was the conflict between the stories she told about herself and the way the narrator perceived her?
Happiness and Love takes place over the course of a dinner party, in a closed space, on one night. How does the setting constrain the action of the novel?
The narrator says that Alexander was one of the first people to take her seriously as a writer. How have her feelings about him changed by the time the novel begins? How have they evolved differently as artists?
What is the relationship between art and object for people like Nicole and Eugene? How does ownership change their view of the art and artists they surround themselves with?
How does the story portray the role sexual politics plays in the trajectory of up-and-coming artists? Identify are a few moments when sex and sexuality make a difference for a character’s career.
Why does the actress remain unnamed, and how does her late arrival complicate the dynamics among the party attendees? Discuss the ways the actress differed from or resembled the character you were expecting.
Imagine the novel from the perspective of another character. Discuss with your group how, say, Nicole would narrate the evening.
At the end of the book, the narrator wishes “happiness and love” for Alexander, Eugene, and Nicole, while also wishing for bad things to happen to them. What do you make of this? Can both be true?
Enhance Your Book Club
Attend an art-related event in your city—a gallery opening, an art show, a poetry reading, or a concert, etc. Observe the people around you. Can you draw any parallels between them and the characters who inhabit the art world in Happiness and Love?
Throw a dinner party! Invite a mystery guest and tell them to show up late. See what happens!
About The Author
Photograph by Caroline Tompkins
Zoe Dubno is a writer from New York. She attended Oberlin College and has an MFA from Rutgers University, Newark. Her writing has appeared in Granta, The New York Times Magazine, The New York Review of Books, The Guardian, The Nation, Vogue, and elsewhere. Happiness and Love is her first novel.
Product Details
- Publisher: Scribner (September 2, 2025)
- Length: 224 pages
- ISBN13: 9781668062968
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Raves and Reviews
One of Vogue and Library Journal's Best Books of 2025
One of New York Magazine's Most Anticipated Books of 2025
“[A] nervy and blisteringly funny new novel.”
—The Wall Street Journal
“Loosely inspired by Thomas Bernhard’s Woodcutters, Dubno’s novel combines that Austrian novelist’s spleen with a chattier, up-to-the-moment sensibility.”
—The Washington Post
“Dubno's acerbic wit and brutal observations of how we try to perform the charmed, curated life—all while craving the 'real'—make for a riveting read.”
—Vogue
“Brutal and entertaining.”
—People
“Deliciously scathing . . . Judgmental yet self-aware, caustic yet warm, Dubno's book will have you yelping in recognition—either at the state of your own friendships (depending on your lifestyle and bank balance) or at the characters on the page.”
—Vogue UK
“Reading the novel is akin to spending time with a witty if merciless observer of other people's idiocies. There's something of a latter- day Holden Caulfield about the narrator…it possesses an enlivening, claustrophobic charge.”
—The Spectator
“Dubno updates Bernhard’s drawing-room fiction with a shiny and pleasurable modern gloss, shot through with incisive class commentary... Readers will devour this in one gulp.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Wryly amusing... a minefield of a novel, whose cutting and often brilliant observations will delight and terrify those in the know.”
—Kirkus
“A blistering satire on friendship, capitalism, class, and culture, Happiness and Love is a smart, acerbic debut.”
—Dazed
“Zingy… Told in a single long, savage and hilarious paragraph, Happiness and Love can be gulped in one delicious go.”
—Financial Times
“Breathless, damning, funny, elegiac, often all at once.”
—The London Magazine
“A gorgeous book on being a hater, and I inhaled this in one sitting.”
—Stylist
"As observant as a sniper, and just as ruthless, Zoe Dubno in Happiness and Love manages to operate an unlikely yet ultimately very successful literary metempsychosis. Bernhard's fierce sarcasm and disappointment resonate very clearly in her voice; despite the distance that separates his 1980s Vienna from her contemporary New York, Dubno manages to show — at times comically, at times despairingly — that the superficiality, hypocrisy, and flatness never change."
—Vincenzo Latronico, author of Perfection
“Zeitgeisty and timeless, cynical but not soulless, Dubno’s propulsive debut is for lovers of Thomas Bernhard, art over theory, and anyone who has ever wondered ‘What the hell am I doing here?’ Fabulous!”
—Melissa Broder, author of Death Valley
“Zoe Dubno examines character and human relations in the same way an art critic looks at a painting. Digging deeper and deeper into the thoughts behind thoughts, feelings behind feelings and questioning everything, Happiness and Love is an ecstatic performance of heightened perception.”
—Chris Kraus, author of The Four Spent the Day Together
“The pleasures of this book’s humanity are instant and lingering. The result is, strangely, you not only love the book, you actually end up liking yourself a good deal more.”
—James L. Brooks, co-creator of The Simpsons
“A master class in irony, wit and storytelling, Zoe Dubno’s Happiness and Love is one of the most incisive and entertaining novels I’ve read this year. In a style redolent of Thomas Bernhard but very much her own and zeroing in on a 21st century New York art monster milieu, she manages to capture in every sentence delicious truths about our era that a thousand news articles barely touch. A triumph!”
—John Keene, National Book Award-winning author of Punks
“Fun, clever and full of heart Happiness and Love is the art world massacre we've been waiting for.”
—Stephanie LaCava, author of I Fear My Pain Interests You
“Happiness and Love is a delightful, breathless effusion of vitriol aimed at a degraded art world characterized by commercial goals, swiped ideas, and bad faith. Yet even as the narrator is spewing hatred—witty, fun-to-read acid opinions—toward her ex art world friends, she cannot hide from the reader that her disappointment comes from an idealistic and tender heart. Zoe Dubno is a marvelous, fresh, undeniable new voice.”
—Alice Elliott Dark, author of Fellowship Point and In the Gloaming
“Exceptionally funny and entertaining.”
—Katy Hessel, author of The Story of Art Without Men
“Happiness and Love is a wildly intelligent debut that anatomizes our cultural affectations with wit and uncanny clarity. Formally daring, it upends our notions of aesthetic ambition, social performance, and maps the erosion of our collective sincerity—all while occupying the porous boundary between critique and complicity. I loved it.”
—Zain Khalid, author of Brother Alive
“Zoe Dubno has written a savage, whip-smart and genuinely hilarious take-down of New York’s culture production eco system—from art to magazine and book publishing to film and TV. And like the best work, form mirrors content as we journey into the twisted mind of a fascinating product of that very eco-system, tossed on a dark sea of delectable aspersions until we can’t tell who’s good, who’s bad and, most importantly, who’s a real artist.”
—Lexi Freiman, author of The Book of Ayn
“A scathing, sharp and cathartic chronicle of every thought you’ve ever had about the people you hate to love and love to hate.”
—Nicola Dinan, author of Disappoint Me
“In Happiness and Love, Zoe Dubno viciously and delightfully skewers the vapid people—the neo-bohemians of the social media age—who masquerade their privilege as creativity. It is bracing and funny and fiercely clever, a first novel of extraordinary confidence and profoundly entertaining wickedness.”
—Orlando Whitfield, author of All That Glitters
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