"Don’t let Are You Happy? pass you by: There’s not a word out of place in these brilliant Midwestern sketches. They’re lonesome, for sure . . . But they’re also hilarious." —Charles Arrowsmith, The Washington Post
"These nine startling stories capture the subtleties of feeling—and being made to feel—out of place . . .. Ostlund proves herself a master of the form."
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Nine exquisite stories that explore class, desire, identity, and the specter of violence that looms daily over women and the LGBTQ+ community.
An aspiring veterinarian survives a plane crash and starts life over in California. A woman mourns the loss of her childhood friend’s innocence and rethinks justice. A queer teacher's sense of safety in the classroom is destroyed. With settings ranging from small-town Minnesota to New Mexico, from bars and bedrooms to a furniture store and a community college, Are You Happy? casts a spotlight on people who try—and often fail—to make peace with their pasts while navigating their present relationships and notions of self. In prose that is evocative and restrained, unpredictable and masterful, Lori Ostlund offers a darkly humorous and compassionate examination of America’s preoccupation with loneliness, happiness, guns, and violence.
Shortlisted for the 2026 Joyce Carol Oates Prize
Longlisted for the Mark Twain American Voice in Literature Award
Publishing Triangle's Ferro Gumley Award for LGBTQ+ Fiction Finalist
California Book Awards Finalist
Washington Post Notable Work of Fiction from 2025
Electric Literature Best Short Story Collection of 2025
Kirkus Best Fiction Book of 2025
"Don’t let Are You Happy? pass you by: There’s not a word out of place in these brilliant Midwestern sketches. They’re lonesome, for sure . . . But they’re also hilarious." —Charles Arrowsmith, The Washington Post
"These nine startling stories capture the subtleties of feeling—and being made to feel—out of place . . .. Ostlund proves herself a master of the form."
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Nine exquisite stories that explore class, desire, identity, and the specter of violence that looms daily over women and the LGBTQ+ community.
An aspiring veterinarian survives a plane crash and starts life over in California. A woman mourns the loss of her childhood friend’s innocence and rethinks justice. A queer teacher's sense of safety in the classroom is destroyed. With settings ranging from small-town Minnesota to New Mexico, from bars and bedrooms to a furniture store and a community college, Are You Happy? casts a spotlight on people who try—and often fail—to make peace with their pasts while navigating their present relationships and notions of self. In prose that is evocative and restrained, unpredictable and masterful, Lori Ostlund offers a darkly humorous and compassionate examination of America’s preoccupation with loneliness, happiness, guns, and violence.
