I Want You to Be Happy by Jem Calder

‘A superb writer, by turns funny, graceful, acidly cynical, lyrical.’ Guardian
‘Jem Calder is my new favourite writer.’ Andrew O’Hagan
‘Calder’s writing achieves that rare thing of capturing how it feels to be young.’ Esquire

Chuck and Joey meet in a bar. He’s in his mid-thirties; she’s twelve years younger. He’s long abandoned his ambition of becoming a novelist and now works as a copywriter at a big ad agency. ‘Lead copywriter,’ he corrects himself. Joey lives paycheck to paycheck on her barista wages and privately dreams of making it as a poet. They go back to Chuck’s luxury flat—a world away from Joey’s cramped house-share, the crumbs in her bed. Soon, Joey’s imagining a future between them, and Chuck’s moving on from a major change in his recent past. Amazing, how meeting a new person can make you feel so new.

Funny, excruciating, and true, I Want You to Be Happy is a sharp-eyed tale of two people searching for meaning and connection in modern times, missing the mark maybe, but trying.

*PLEASE NOTE: the tote bag (38cm w x 43cm h) will be shipped separately to the book and is sent Royal Mail second class untracked. Available only to UK addresses. Promotions start date: 18 May 2026.