HappyHead by Josh Silver
Book of the Week: 20 August 2023
Cover image by Shutterstock
The HappyHead Project offers young people the opportunity to find lasting happiness and success and Seb Seaton, who has been selected as one of its first intake of students, is on his way to the isolated campus to take part.
His parents are concerned about his failing grades and his mental health and although Seb is dreading having to mix with strangers and take part in possibly challenging activities, he wants to please his parents and perhaps experience a fresh start after some problems in school.
He and the other students are welcomed with a speech from the founder Dr Eileen Stone, who tells them that emotional problems amongst young people are at an all-time high and that loneliness and dysfunction are preventing them from achieving their potential. HappyHead is going to help them deal with these challenges and, at first, the disciplined routine and mindfulness sessions seem designed to achieve that. Seb is introduced to his team mates who range from the shy and reticent Ash to the ultra-competitive Eleanor. The most intriguing person he meets is the unsettling Finn with his piercing gaze, tattoos and uncooperative attitude. Seb doesn’t know what to make of him but can’t get him out of his mind.
As the days pass, Seb, who has been slightly sceptical to begin with, starts to feel more and more uneasy about many elements of the course. Finn tries to persuade him that there is a threatening purpose behind all the exercises and the almost fanatical emphasis on happiness. Should he be believed and who can Seb truly trust in this bewildering new environment?
HappyHead has been compared to The Hunger Games, and it does have the element of survival tests and ongoing tension, but includes more low-key and relatable dilemmas. Seb is a sympathetic and witty narrator who we can all root for.
A sequel called Dead Happy is due in 2024.
If you enjoy reading dystopian fiction that features sinister organisations, try The Disappeared by C.J. Harper and two books by William Sutcliffe – Concentra8 and We See Everything.
More dystopian fiction can be found on this list I created a few years ago.