Whatever Makes You Happy: A Novel - Hardcover

Sutcliffe, William

3.31

991 ratings by Goodreads

9781596914506: Whatever Makes You Happy: A Novel

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1596914505 ISBN 13: 9781596914506

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA, 2008

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Can three mothers save their shiftless sons from themselves―in just one week?

Gillian, Helen, and Carol are three suburban mothers who have known each other since their respective sons were babies, and have met in a regular coffee group for years. These days, their sons are a bunch of thirty-four-year-old layabouts: they have no wives and no children, never call, and seem unlikely to outgrow their post-adolescent lifestyles anytime soon. After yet another fruitless Mother's Day, Carol has an outlandish but irresistible idea: each woman will go drop in on her son for an unexpected weeklong visit and find out what's really keeping him from responsible adult life.

What they encounter is Matt, an editor for a men's magazine called BALLS!, whose interests center on videogames and bedding underage models; Paul, who lives in a gay commune (at least that's his mother's take on it) and has secretly fathered a child with a lesbian couple; and Daniel, who has run away to Edinburgh to mope after breaking up with the love of his life out of sheer stubbornness. Together, and with mixed success, the mothers set out to whip their sons into shape.

Hugely amusing and yet also remarkably insightful about family life, Whatever Makes You Happy will strike close to home for all the parents who yearn for a closer relationship with their adult children, and for the younger generation who might seem to want the opposite, yet can never quite relinquish the hope that their parents will swoop in and set things right.

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About the Author:

William Sutcliffe was born in 1971 in London. He is the author of the novels Are You Experienced, The Love Hexagon, New Boy, and Bad Influence. He lives in Edinburgh with his wife, the novelist Maggie O'Farrell, and their son.

Review:

“Like Bridget Jones or the "Sex and the City" foursome, three Brits named Gillian, Helen and Carol have fulfilling lives of their own, yet each yearns for a deeper relationship with a special someone. In this case, it's with their terminally adolescent 34-year-old sons...These are some truly meddling mothers and expertly dissembling sons, and Sutcliffe's handling of the ensuing confrontations is at times hilarious, at times heartbreaking.” ―Minneapolis Star Tribune

“An excellent comic novel that interweaves the romance, humor and pathos of three complicated families.” ―Publishers Weekly

“Sutcliffe demonstrates a sharp wit and generosity of spirit...A sweet, funny and refreshingly original look at generational conflict.” ―Kirkus Reviews

“Impossible not to fall in love with... The novel is pure delight.” ―The Independent (UK)

“A charming portrait of fractured families and contemporary mores. ... Sutcliffe writes with such sharpness and wit . . . Whatever Makes You Happy is a delight.” ―Mail on Sunday (UK)

“Engaging and very funny ... a convincing, moving portrait of an evolving relationship between a mother and adult son elevates this enjoyable comic novel into something more profound.” ―Guardian (UK)

“A moving meditation on miscommunications between sexes, across generations, and over dinner tables.” ―Financial Times (UK)

“One of the finest young talents of the new millennium.” ―Times (UK) on William Sutcliffe

“Sutcliffe is a deft comic writer who also possesses a keen sense of humanity's capacity for unreflecting selfishness and cruelty.” ―The Independent (UK) on William Sutcliffe

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