Are You Happy?

Stories

by Lori Ostlund

This title was previously available on NetGalley and is now archived.

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Pub Date May 06 2025 | Archive Date Apr 29 2025

Astra Publishing House | Astra House

General Fiction (Adult) | LGBTQIAP+ | Literary Fiction

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Description

"Don’t let Are You Happy? pass you by: There’s not a word out of place in these brilliant Midwestern sketches. They’re lonesome, for sure . . . But they’re also hilarious." —Charles Arrowsmith, The Washington Post

"These nine startling stories capture the subtleties of feeling—and being made to feel—out of place . . .. Ostlund proves herself a master of the form."
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Nine exquisite stories that explore class, desire, identity, and the specter of violence that looms daily over women and the LGBTQ+ community.

An aspiring veterinarian survives a plane crash and starts life over in California. A woman mourns the loss of her childhood friend’s innocence and rethinks justice. A queer teacher's sense of safety in the classroom is destroyed. With settings ranging from small-town Minnesota to New Mexico, from bars and bedrooms to a furniture store and a community college, Are You Happy? casts a spotlight on people who try—and often fail—to make peace with their pasts while navigating their present relationships and notions of self. In prose that is evocative and restrained, unpredictable and masterful, Lori Ostlund offers a darkly humorous and compassionate examination of America’s preoccupation with loneliness, happiness, guns, and violence.

Marketing Plan

MARKETING AND PUBLICITY PLANS • National media campaign including print and online coverage, as well as podcast and radio interviews, tapping into Lori Ostlund’s previous fanbase and also introducing her to a new audience • Pitch for feature stories, interviews, and profiles in major publications, focusing on the return of Lori Ostlund for her first book in 10 years • Pitch story excerpt to The New Yorker or other national magazine • Select events at NYC and San Francisco indie bookstores, as well as literary festivals • Robust awards campaign • Targeted outreach to publications focused on queer narratives, California, and political fiction • Outreach to indie booksellers, especially in California, Minnesota, and New Mexico, where the stories are set • Cover reveal on Astra House social media • Library promotion • Influencer

MARKETING AND PUBLICITY PLANS • National media campaign including print and online coverage, as well as podcast and radio interviews, tapping into Lori Ostlund’s previous fanbase and also...