The Happy Couple
Ratings15
Average rating3.7
Ça commence par une discussion de couple après une soirée entre amis, ces moments où l’on touche du doigt certaines vérités pouvant mener à la rupture. Luke décide de clore cette conversation délicate par… une demande en mariage. Celine dit oui. Le duo coche toutes les cases du bonheur moderne : Ils se fréquentent depuis trois ans, partagent un minuscule appartement hors de prix à Dublin, ont adopté une chatte – Madame Esmeralda – et vont bientôt atteindre la trentaine. Seulement, Luke a une phobie de l’engagement, trompe Celine sans vergogne, et teste ses limites comme un grand enfant immature. Elle pardonne tout, persuadée qu’il est le compagnon idéal. N’est-il pas adorable d’accepter de partager les tâches ménagères afin de préserver les mains de Celine, pianiste professionnelle ? Le jour où le chevalier servant sèche sa propre soirée de fiançailles, la machine se met en marche : l’entourage de Celine fera tout pour la convaincre d’éviter le mariage. The Happy Couple est une version contemporaine du roman victorien, une inversion des perspectives, où le happy end est la rupture. Avec un humour corrosif et un sens cinématographique des dialogues, Naoise Dolan réécrit la comédie romantique. Traduit de l’anglais par Nathalie Peronny. Naoise Dolan est née à Dublin. Elle y a étudié la littérature, avant de poursuivre ses études à l'université d'Oxford. Des extraits de Rien de sérieux, son premier roman, ont été publiés dans la prestigieuse revue littéraire The Stinging Fly à l'initiative de Sally Rooney. Elle est considérée comme l'une des étoiles montantes de la scène littéraire irlandaise.
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this was fun
i didn't know anything about the author beforehand and was pleasantly surprised to be picking up some queer literature. the tone has that droll irish humour at times which i found enjoyable. it's also a pretty short read which i picked up over a sunday afternoon
the story follows the lives and perspectives of a couple who have a lot of shit going on between them unexpectedly getting married interwoven with the perspectives of their friends / wedding guests. i found all the characters pretty interesting with the exception of the best man archie. i found myself really disliking him and found his characterization both inconsistent and a little unfleshed. we don't learn anything deep about his motivations and he's just a bit of a dickhead who can't get over the groom
i'd recommend this if you enjoy reading stories about the same situation from multiple perspectives. i would've liked this a lot more if it were an exploration about the situation itself (i.e. the couple getting married) as opposed to the personal histories and relationships behind the characters. i would've preferred more action around the engagement party itself like more infidelity or more secrets being spilled but i'm not disappointed by what we got. will definitely be checking out more of Naoise Dolan's works in the future
After an Irish girl living [b:Exciting Times 50175419 Exciting Times Naoise Dolan https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1572990447l/50175419.SY75.jpg 73236926] in Hong Kong, we now have a British man in Ireland about to marry an Irish girl in London. Everyone's a millennial, queer, and the usual kind of messed up that makes for that laconic Dolan love-drama style. We start with the Happy Couple - Celine and Luke - and might not end up with a wedding. Examining along the way all the reasons why the couple makes or doesn't make sense. By the end, the only happy couple ending I wanted, was Celine and her piano! Sally Rooney and Naoise Dolan character would definitely hang out.
Quickly went through it in about 3 hours give or take. Didn't really chew through her sentences in detail this time, more skimming as I wasn't too familiar with the geographic or cultural settings of Dublin and London.
The style is consistent with Exciting Times in that it explores the emotional frustration that comes with being in your twenties, exploring your sexuality and navigating adulthood. Also the need to stomach the character's flaws in failing to expressing their feelings outward and suffering the consequences of that — except this time we actually get it from their perspectives in first-person inner monologue.
If you like beautiful people where are you (I do), then this is similar but pales in comparison.
