Happiness is an indelible, singular true story that begins with a charming courtship between hopelessly attracted opposites. Their magical interlude ends, full stop, when Heather becomes pregnant. Brian is sure he loves her—’If I wanted to have kids with anyone, it would be with you’—only he doesn’t want kids. Heather returns to California to deliver their daughter alone, buoyed by a tribe of family and friends. Shortly after Gracie’s arrival, Heather’s new-mom bliss is interrupted by a nurse who appears bedside at dawn: Get up, get dressed, your baby is in trouble. The whiplash journey that ensues reunites Heather and Brian, who engage in the hard, thrilling work of repairing a true love that’s been tested. Together they have to decide how much they are willing to risk to ensure their girl sees adulthood.
Profoundly moving and subtly written, Happiness radiates out in multiple directions—new, romantic love; the passion a parent has for a child; deep and abiding friendship; and gratitude for a beautiful, inscrutable world. Ultimately, it’s a story about love and happiness in all their crooked forms, and a celebration of the many unlikely ways a family can be built through the story of this one-of-a-kind family’s formation and resilience.