Why a Booktrail?
2023: A boy dreams of becoming an actor so leaves India for Italy
Happy
What you need to know before your trail
In a small farming village in Punjab, India, a boy crouches over his brother’s phone in a rapeseed field watching clips of Godard’s Bande à part on YouTube.
His name is Happy Singh Soni and when he’s not sleeping among the cabbages and eating sugary rotis, Happy dreams of becoming an actor, one who plays the melancholy roles; the sad, pretty boys, rare in Indian cinema. He plans a clandestine journey to Europe, where he’ll finally land a breakout role.
After a nightmarish passage to Italy, Happy still manages to find relief in food and fantasy, even as he is forced into ever-worsening work conditions on a radish farm by the syndicate involved in smuggling him to Europe to pay off the supposed debt they claim he has accrued. While disillusionment amongst the farm workers rise, Happy will find the love – and tragedy – that his favourite films always promised.
Travel Guide
From the Punjab to Rome
There is not much in the way of location spotting in this novel despite the story being of a refugee who makes his way across the waters to find his future in Rome.
There are snippets of names and lists of places he wishes to see such as the Trevi fountain but these are not integral to the story.
BookTrail Boarding Pass: Happy
Destination: India, Punjab, Rome, Italy Author/guide: Celina Baljeet Basra Departure Time: 2023
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