Happiness for Humans is a debut novel by P Z Reizin and a brilliant pick-me-up read. It is modern, witty, quirky and romantic by turn and wonderfully original. The plot follows two main characters, Jen and Tom who are both rebuilding their lives after failed relationships and in Tom’s case he is also missing his son who has gone to university.
Into this quite normal scenario is the meddling of two computer generated AI (Aiden and Aisling) who try to get them together, while darker undercurrents force them apart again. It’s a bit like the fairy element in A Midsummer Night’s Dream only for the modern age. There’s also a nod to Woody Allen and a hint of Douglas Adams, so it wasn’t surprising I was chuckling my way through the book.
There are plenty of surprises, some mad-cap action sequences and loads of odd-ball minor characters that keep the plot humming along. And Reizin does a great job of making the AI characters, who narrate chunks of the story, well-rounded and believable, in the way that human characters would be. This is a lovely novel you won’t want to miss.
Judith McKinnon 