A review by thecatsmum
The Trouble with Happiness: And Other Stories by Tove Ditlevsen

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This was interesting to read as a mid-century collection of domestic short stories set in Denmark. It's probably a period and setting that I've read about rarely, if at all. At times this felt like there was a feminist streak through the novels, but at other times, less so. It could be that writing personal stories about life in a highly patriarchal society will inevitably touch on feminist criticism of that society. I am glad that this apparently rarely translated writer is now becoming accessible to non-Danish readers.

The stories themselves often felt bleak and futile, with some venturing into the tragic, as the very apt title implies. So don't pick these up with any ideas that it will be a light and easy read of a bygone era.