Whilst the title of this book might not be the most uplifting one you’ve ever come across the resulting work is a kind of roman de clef novel that will have you laughing and crying in equal measure. It may be presumptuous of me to assume that this is autobiographical but somehow I have an instinctive feeling that a lot of it is. You can’t write about events and feelings such as these with the depth and humanity achieved here unless you’ve at least touched upon some of them from the inside.
‘Cumbernauld was built to be the town of the future...that is, if the future looked like a really rubbish episode of Doctor Who. It's also home to Walter Wedgeworth, a child stuck in a uniquely dysfunctional family controlled by the tyrannical Fishtank, whose CB Radio aerial is a metal middle finger to all the neighbours on Craigieburn Road. When 11-year-old Walter discovers the corpse of a baby inside a cardboard box, he resolves to ignore it, pretend it didn't happen. He knows the price of being a grass. But the child's fate haunts Walter, bringing him into conflict with the world around him. Walter's journey will lead him from childhood to adulthood; school, college, bereavement, Britpop, his first job, Blackpool, the Spice Girls, feuds with his neighbour, and finally...face-to-face with a child killer. Taking place in the 90s, Happiness Is Wasted On Me is a genre-blending tale that spans a decade in the life of Walter. It's a coming of age tale, a family drama, a mystery, and a biting dark comedy. Ultimately, it's the story of how even the strangest people can find their way in the world.’
The overriding emotion that engulfed me after reading the book was similar to that feeling I had after reading Rachel Elliott’s Do Not Feed the Bear and Ronan Hession’s Leonard and Hungry Paul. Why? Because it’s about somebody who potentially doesn’t fit in. Somebody who won’t willingly follow the crowd or run with the flock. Somebody who is unique and true to themselves.
And a novel has been created about a character with those characteristics. Walter Wedgeworth and his dress sense will have you smiling. His early childhood experience, finding the dead baby, will have you weeping. Weeping because of what it does to him and how it impacts upon the years of his growing up. Cringing too, at times, because of the dysfunctional family set up he is trapped inside. But although this all sounds very dark it’s not ultimately a depressing book. There are redemptions. And Walter emerges, certainly can’t say unscathed, but he emerges as a richer person and I’m not just talking financially!
Thematically the book covers numerous issues. And that makes it hard to pin down to any one specific genre. Good! Life is not a specific genre. Life covers numerous issues. And this is a story about one boy’s life, or 10 years of it.
The narrative has a pleasing flow to it. Conversational almost at times. But the reader is always rooting for Walter. It’s Walter who is telling the tale. It’s Walter’s take on events that the reader is treated to. Sometimes it strikes you as if it’s one of your mates telling you an anecdote, a protracted anecdote to be sure! But Ciccone has created that sense that the reader is being confided in. No one else is party to these thoughts and events. Which makes it both an immersive and inclusive read.
Any book that defies “genrelisation” is a brave book. Because it’s human nature to want to compartmentalise things neatly. Sometimes not being able to do so makes people uncomfortable. So a story like this is wonderful because it’s basically saying it doesn’t matter. You can be different and you can make your way.
I hadn’t come across this author before I read this book. Here’s a little info about him.
‘ Kirkland Ciccone is a fat punk, author, and performer who has toured across the country in theatres, libraries, and schools. From the moment his mother sent him up to the Post Office with the Family Allowance book, Kirkland knew books would loom large in his life. One of his first jobs was a psychic consultant, that is if telling everyone they were going to meet a tall, dark, handsome stranger counts as seeing the future. He has guested on Janice Forsyth’s Culture Café (BBC Radio Scotland) and Scotland Tonight (STV). He has also appeared at several festivals including The Edinburgh Book Festival, ReImagination, and Tidelines. With the help of Cumbernauld Theatre, Kirkland also set up Yay YA, a book festival to encourage teens to get off their phones and read books. Other live shows include A Secret History of Cumbernauld, Kirkland Ciccone Plays Pop, and The Dead Don’t Sue. He has previously written quirky fiction for younger readers including Conjuring The Infinite and Glowglass. He hails from Cumbernauld, the world-famous 'ugly' town of Scotland.’
Happiness Is Wasted On Me is his first novel for adults. It's out in October 2020 because of Covid-19.
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My thanks to Kelly Lacey at the Love Books Group for an opportunity to read this entertaining novel and a place upon the blog tour.
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