HAPPY STORIES, MOSTLY by Norman Erikson Pasaribu

This collection of short stories stands out for multiple reasons. One is its signature blend of speculative fiction and glowering absurdism; another is Pasaribu’s roots in both poetry and queer Indonesian culture.

More than anything else, however, this book shines because of its author’s ability to articulate the unarticulated: the fickle, faraway quality of joy… the complexities of happiness in a world like ours.

Longlisted for the 2022 International Booker Prize - Longlisted for the 2023 NBCC Barrios Book in Translation Prize - Longlisted for the 2023 ALTA National Translation Award in Prose