Things That Cause Inappropriate Happiness

By (author): Danila Botha

Things that Cause Inappropriate Happiness is Danila Botha’s third collection of short fiction. In these brilliant stories she observes with her signature vulnerability and humour what it’s like to struggle to find your place in the world. From the bullied twelve-year-old (Born, Not Made) to the musician saved from sleeping in doorways (Blasting Molly Rockets), to the sculptor who builds a golem and fulfills her Holocaust survivor grandmother’s wish to protect her sister (Able to Pass) to a student who overdoses on opiates and meets an adult Anne Frank (Like An Alligator Eyeing a Small Fish), these stories pulse with Botha’s signature empathy and originality. Botha also addresses what it means to be Jewish, with characters who rethink their whole identity (Soulmates) to those who hold on at all costs (Dark and Lilac Fairies). As in her previous collection, the Trillium and Vine nominated For All the Men (and Some of the Women) I’ve Known, Things that Cause Inappropriate Happiness will make you laugh and cry, but above all it will make you feel less alone.

AUTHOR

Danila Botha

Danila Botha was born in South Africa, and has lived in Israel and Nova Scotia. She studied Creative Writing at York University and Humber College for Writers. Her first book, the collection of stories Got No Secrets, was published by Tightrope Books in 2010, and by Modjaji Books in South Africa. Her writing has appeared in The National Post, Broken Pencil Magazine, Joyland, and more. Too Much on the Inside is her first novel.

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Things that Cause Inappropriate Happiness is Danila Botha’s third collection of short fiction. In these brilliant stories she observes with her signature vulnerability and humour what it’s like to struggle to find your place in the world. From the bullied twelve-year-old (Born, Not Made) to the musician saved from sleeping in doorways (Blasting Molly Rockets), to the sculptor who builds a golem and fulfills her Holocaust survivor grandmother’s wish to protect her sister (Able to Pass) to a student who overdoses on opiates and meets an adult Anne Frank (Like An Alligator Eyeing a Small Fish), these stories pulse with Botha’s signature empathy and originality. Botha also addresses what it means to be Jewish, with characters who rethink their whole identity (Soulmates) to those who hold on at all costs (Dark and Lilac Fairies). As in her previous collection, the Trillium and Vine nominated For All the Men (and Some of the Women) I’ve Known, Things that Cause Inappropriate Happiness will make you laugh and cry, but above all it will make you feel less alone.

Reader Reviews

Details

Dimensions:

200 Pages
8in * 5in *
1gr

Published:

April 01, 2024

City of Publication:

Hamilton

Country of Publication:

CA

Publisher:

Guernica Editions

ISBN:

9781771838702

Book Subjects:

FICTION / Short Stories

Featured In:

All Books

Language:

eng

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