Things That Cause Inappropriate Happiness: Volume 216

Things that Cause Inappropriate Happiness is Danila Botha’s third collection of short fiction. In these brilliant stories she observes with her signature vulnerability and humour what it’s like to struggle to find your place in the world. From the bullied twelve-year-old (Born, Not Made) to the musician saved from sleeping in doorways (Blasting Molly Rockets), to the sculptor who builds a golem and fulfills her Holocaust survivor grandmother’s wish to protect her sister (Able to Pass) to a student who overdoses on opiates and meets an adult Anne Frank (Like An Alligator Eyeing a Small Fish), these stories pulse with Botha’s signature empathy and originality. Botha also addresses what it means to be Jewish, with characters who rethink their whole identity (Soulmates) to those who hold on at all costs (Dark and Lilac Fairies). As in her previous collection, the Trillium and Vine nominated For All the Men (and Some of the Women) I’ve Known, Things that Cause Inappropriate Happiness will make you laugh and cry, but above all it will make you feel less alone.

Danila Botha is the author of three critically acclaimed short story collections, GOT NO SECRETS and FOR ALL THE MEN (AND SOME OF THE WOMEN I’VE KNOWN) which was a finalist for the Trillium Book Award, The Vine Awards and the ReLit Award. Her new collection, THINGS THAT CAUSE INAPPROPRIATE HAPPINESS was published in 2024 by Guernica Editions. The title story, Things that Cause Inappropriate Happiness was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. It was also named a finalist for the Canadian Book Club Awards, in the Short Story category. She is also the author of the award- winning novel TOO MUCH ON THE INSIDE which was optioned for film. She is part of the faculty at Humber School for writers and is currently working on a new short story collection.