The riotously funny second novel by the New York Times bestselling author of Everyone Here Is Lying, Shari Lapena, that explores what happens when art collides with commerce.
Will Thorne is a stalled poet, married to Judy, a wildly successful celebrity economist. Pressured by a starving fellow poet, Will establishes The Poets' Preservation Society, a genteel organization to help poets in need. But when Will meets his muse, the enigmatic and athletic Lily White, he becomes inspired not only to write, but to take guerrilla action in support of poets everywhere. Poetry meets parkour and culture clashes with commerce in this hilarious look at how we measure the value of art.
Shortlisted for the Stephen Leacock Medal of Humour
"A funny yet earnest tale." —Quill & Quire
"All four main characters—parents and children—are engrossing and real. Lapena builds quiet suspense expertly and has a knack for showing us inside these terribly flawed and sometimes annoying people, making them beautiful in their ordinary and contradictory ways." —The Globe and Mail
"A wonderful tale of poets and their muses, of social navigations and marriages adrift. Full of heart and deftly told." —Will Ferguson, author of Happiness
"This novel revels in the inherent comedy of what happens when art meets commerce; when the muse inspires ad slogans. Happiness Economics hilariously pits poetry's ineffable artistic charms against the hard numbers that rule our daily lives." —Lynn Coady, author of Mean Boy
"A big rollicking, lusty book filled with characters who get in you and stay—I dare you to not love and care about these people. It's a rewarding story, a beautifully unraveled journey. It's as clever as hell and filled with massive heart." —The Winnipeg Review
The riotously funny second novel by the New York Times bestselling author of Everyone Here Is Lying, Shari Lapena, that explores what happens when art collides with commerce.
Will Thorne is a stalled poet, married to Judy, a wildly successful celebrity economist. Pressured by a starving fellow poet, Will establishes The Poets' Preservation Society, a genteel organization to help poets in need. But when Will meets his muse, the enigmatic and athletic Lily White, he becomes inspired not only to write, but to take guerrilla action in support of poets everywhere. Poetry meets parkour and culture clashes with commerce in this hilarious look at how we measure the value of art.
Praise
Shortlisted for the Stephen Leacock Medal of Humour
"A funny yet earnest tale." —Quill & Quire
"All four main characters—parents and children—are engrossing and real. Lapena builds quiet suspense expertly and has a knack for showing us inside these terribly flawed and sometimes annoying people, making them beautiful in their ordinary and contradictory ways." —The Globe and Mail
"A wonderful tale of poets and their muses, of social navigations and marriages adrift. Full of heart and deftly told." —Will Ferguson, author of Happiness
"This novel revels in the inherent comedy of what happens when art meets commerce; when the muse inspires ad slogans. Happiness Economics hilariously pits poetry's ineffable artistic charms against the hard numbers that rule our daily lives." —Lynn Coady, author of Mean Boy
"A big rollicking, lusty book filled with characters who get in you and stay—I dare you to not love and care about these people. It's a rewarding story, a beautifully unraveled journey. It's as clever as hell and filled with massive heart." —The Winnipeg Review
