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A review by jlennidorner
The Shelf Life of Happiness by David Machado
4.0
This story will stay with you. And by that, I mean that you'll end up thinking about after you read it, possibly unintentionally. (This story is not for anyone suffering from an obsessive compulsion. Fair warning.) How happy are you? Reading this story, this mental letter the main character is aiming at a friend, sucks you in to wondering about your own happiness. (The United States was ranked 7.104 on the 2016 happiness index, by the way.) Early in the story, when the main character debates about his happiness, the line "Any life instead of the right life," hit me, followed by, "I didn't know how to live this new version of the future."That's where I knew I'd read this whole book. Here's another one that feels deeper than expected:
"Marta, my job is who I am, and I have no desire to change that."
"You're a delivery boy for a pharmacy {}."
"You know it's temporary."
That's a pivotal moment in the story, though it might not seem like it. It also reminds me of a lot of college Freshmen. And of myself. Am I an author, a Lenni-Lenape, something more, something less? The book gets in your head!
Near the end, there's a quote-worthy line.
"We shouldn't need bad days to appreciate the good one; there should always be a joy inside of us, and not just in moments of relief."
"Marta, my job is who I am, and I have no desire to change that."
"You're a delivery boy for a pharmacy {}."
"You know it's temporary."
That's a pivotal moment in the story, though it might not seem like it. It also reminds me of a lot of college Freshmen. And of myself. Am I an author, a Lenni-Lenape, something more, something less? The book gets in your head!
Near the end, there's a quote-worthy line.
"We shouldn't need bad days to appreciate the good one; there should always be a joy inside of us, and not just in moments of relief."