Reasons to Be Happy - by Neil Labute (Paperback)

About the Book

Reasons to Be Happy is the companion piece to Neil LaBute's widely praised, 2009 Tony-nominated reasons to be pretty.

Book Synopsis

Reasons to Be Happy by Neil LaBute is a sharp, witty, and emotionally charged exploration of love, relationships, and the complexities of modern life.

Set in a small American town, this sequel to Reasons to Be Pretty follows the intertwined lives of four characters as they navigate the turbulent waters of romance, friendship, and personal growth.

Greg, Steph, Carly, and Kent pick up their lives three years later but in different romantic pairings as they each search desperately for that elusive object of desire: happiness. As old flames reignite and new relationships form, each character must confront their own insecurities and desires, leading to moments of both heartache and humor.

LaBute's incisive dialogue and keen observations on human behavior make Reasons to Be Happy a testament to the complexities of love and the enduring quest for happiness.

Review Quotes

"Mr. LaBute is writing some of the freshest and most illuminating American dialogue to be heard anywhere these days." --Ben Brantley, "The New York Times"
"Neil LaBute is the most legitimately provocative and polarizing playwright at work today." --"New York Magazine"
"The play twists continually, and the truth is always one twist away. LaBute is such a skillful writer--edgy, funny, outrageous . . . " --"Financial Times"

About the Author

Neil LaBute is arguably the most challenging, provocative, and acclaimed playwright of his generation. In works like "bash," "The Shape of Things," "Fat Pig," and "reasons to be pretty," he superbly engages with such themes as men and women, sex and power, deception and manipulation, with the humane sensibility of an artist who, as John Lahr wrote in "The New Yorker," "does not trivialize darkness but treats it with proper awe."