The Root Of John's Happiness

by Michaila Oberhoffer

John never questioned why things happened around him the way they did -why everyone wore the same shade of grey, why every lawn was manicured to be exactly three quarter inches. He especially didn't seem to notice the small little detail that he, and everyone else in Meno for that matter, were always and without fault smiling, yet nothing significant ever occurred. That, however, was all about to change when a young, free-spirited woman ran into him at the Muni station. Who would have thought a stupid piece of paper containing a single sentence would change everything? A sentence that addressed a simple question that no one ever asked.In a world where questioning has been deemed harmful and happiness comes in a little white pill, John begins to find his smile quickly fading, to be replaced with the one thing Meno feared above all else - a need for answers.

236 pages, Paperback

Published November 30, 2023

About the author

Thank you for checking out my GoodReads profile and more importantly my slightly coherent rambles! I hope you join me on this journey to publishing my first novel. I look forward to sharing this with all of you.

I was born and raised in the foggy San Francisco Bay area, a place I am still happy to call home. Satisfied with a great meal, a refreshing drink and a bit of nature, I wish to live life simply doing what I love. A lover of all things philosophy and science, I believe that being human isn't about being intelligent enough to know but wise enough to question. I can easily be found sitting at a patio table at a coffee shop or at a local brewery, trying very hard to allow the thoughts in my head to become coherent enough to publish, settling for the comforts of humor and speculation. THE ROOT OF JOHN'S HAPPINESS is my debut novel.

Reviews

[Ashley Chu · Rating 2 out of 5]

This author is a new author, so I don’t want to be too harsh. But this story is much more telling than showing. In the first 3 pages John’s life changed without any real explanation? It’s also sort of telling you without reason that these things are happening without truly telling what or why? Can’t help but think this was made with an LLM with how the text is written in fairly simple sentences without much depth.

[Amanda Wagner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finished this one last night and if you like dystopia sci-fi I highly recommend this book. It's a new genre for me but I loved the story it gave giver/Pleasantville vibes as far as story goes. It presents the importance of asking questions and why we must question wrapped in an adventure of rebellion. it truly is wonderful and I think it truly triggers that response to question in order to learn. It even makes you think of now and how we must question to learn. The characters are well written and have great intrigue for their stories while still rooting for them to fight. Back genuinely recommend this to anyone who likes this vibe or is even interested or intrigued by it. 5 out of 5 and a 9 out of 10