When is a paragraph a novel? When it is Zoe Dubno’s debut, HAPPINESS AND LOVE.

Yes, the entire book, just over 200 pages, is one paragraph. There are no section breaks or chapters, or even quotation marks. Remarkably, it is never breathless, and even in its mental wanderings, Dubno is always in tight control of the narrative. It is inspired by WOODCUTTERS, a 1984 German novel by Thomas Bernhard in which the narrator sits and ruminates at a dinner party as the guests await the arrival of an actor. Dubno’s book begins with the same setup and spirals into an exploration of community, mourning, creativity, loyalty, contemporary social structures, and the line between subject and observer. 

"Sometimes funny, other times tiresome, but always sharp and biting, this is a clever take on [Thomas] Bernhard’s inventive story..."

The unnamed narrator of HAPPINESS AND LOVE recently has returned to New York City after several years abroad. She headed to Europe hoping to leave behind the toxic and claustrophobic social circle she found herself in and to move forward in her writing career. But now she finds herself back in the home of Eugene and Nicole, hours after the funeral of her dear friend, Rebecca, at a dinner party in honor of an up-and-coming Hollywood actress. As the dinner is delayed for the yet-to-arrive star, the narrator sits on the end of a couch and thinks back over her years with Eugene and Nicole, Rebecca, and a novelist named Alexander.

Adopted into their scene as a young writer, at first she was dazzled by the lifestyle she was invited to be a part of. Pricy art collections, fashion, travel, fame and infamy were all exciting at first. But the veneer soon wore off. Eugene was a leech, Nicole was kind but also insufferable and needy, and Alexander was pretentious and cruel. Rebecca, while troubled and addicted, was a shining beauty with potential for success but unable to manage her life successfully. The two women lost touch before the narrator left New York.

Still, the narrator remembers good times with Rebecca, even as she is reminded of why she left the realm of Eugene and Nicole in the first place. The novel follows her memories and musings as they come to her, and as she grows drunk and hungry, angry and sad, waiting for the guest of honor. She lambasts the elite, often idle, creative class, male predatory behavior, publishing, social media, Hollywood and more, but only in her head. When the actress finally arrives, the real action happens with an epic takedown that swings from Louis-Ferdinand Céline to the Twilight series and from Shakespeare to celebrity. It seems not everyone has been fooled by the vapid, banal and downright mean social scene that sucked the narrator in years ago.

Dubro closely hews to WOODCUTTERS, though HAPPINESS AND LOVE stands on its own. The style is intense and challenging, and characters are hardly relatable. However, there is much to consider about loss, friendship and risk-taking in this book that is essentially about writing. Sometimes funny, other times tiresome, but always sharp and biting, this is a clever take on Bernhard’s inventive story, but one that some readers may find frustrating. Those who stick with the difficult form and structure will be rewarded with a fascinating finale.