Every Happiness

by Reena Shah

Every Happiness is a dazzling debut that explores the ties that bind two women across decades and continents despite rivalry, class difference, and the conflicting needs of family and self.

Deepa and Ruchi are 12 years old when they meet at their Catholic school in India, but their connection is swift and lasting. As the two girls grow up and face their families' expectations and the limits of their ambitions, their friendship is marked by intimacy, jealousy, and suppressed desire.

When, in their twenties, Deepa marries a doctor and moves from India to the suburbs of Connecticut, Ruchi quickly finds an engineer bound for the same state and follows her friend across the world. But life in the United States is different than either woman expects. Deepa's daughter seeks affection Deepa refuses to give, and Ruchi's son resists her smothering care. At the same time, Deepa and Ruchi find their closeness tested by a growing class disparity, competing family needs, and the differences in their desires. Ultimately, when Ruchi discovers a dangerous secret about Deepa's husband's wealth, both women are forced to weigh the tangled bonds of their friendship with their lives, and their families', in the burgeoning Indian American community.

“Moving and unforgettable” (Kimberly King Parsons), Every Happiness explores the slippery edges of a lifelong relationship, and the invisible threads that bind us, sometimes painfully, to those we love most.

Genres: Fiction, India, Audiobook, Contemporary, Literary Fiction, Immigration, Historical Fiction

320 pages, Hardcover

First published February 3, 2026

About the author

Reena Shah is a writer, editor, and teacher. Her work has been featured in the Masters Review, Electric Literature, Joyland, BBC, the American Prospect, National Geographic, and the Guardian, among other publications. She has been awarded fellowships and residencies from the Martha Heasley Cox Center for Steinbeck Studies, Millay Arts, Tin House, Sustainable Arts Foundation, Cuttyhunk Island Residency, and the Fulbright Foundation. She received an MFA in fiction from the Michener Center for Writers, where she won the Keene Prize for Literature. For many years she was a kathak dancer in New York and India. She now lives on Roosevelt Island, NY with her family and teaches in a public school.

Reviews

[rakshita · Rating 5 out of 5]

I came upon an ad on instagram for this book and decided to read it on a whim. This was the best decision I could have made. This author is talented and writes characters that feel real and have realistic flaws - the book makes you think critically about the cost of immigration and hiding parts of yourself. Maybe it’s because I am Indian and grew up in Connecticut but I really felt like the representation in this book of queer Desi love was super realistic. I never usually cry at books but I did at the end of this one. I never update goodreads anymore but I had to after some reviews said this book was too sad or the characters were too annoying. Do you think repressing your sexuality for 50+ years leads to a personality that is well-adjusted? Readers deserve books that explore real consequences of social stigma - this book delivers. I wish all Indian-American writers treated stories of immigration and adaptation to American culture with the clear care and attention this author did.

[Kelley · Rating 1 out of 5]

Novel received via Goodreads.com First Reads Giveaway

I just couldn’t keep reading this book. I couldn’t tell the characters apart. They both seemed the same to me.

I’m very certain that many other readers will enjoy the novel. It just wasn’t for me.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I heard about this novel back in December when Reena Shah's publicist wrote to me about having her on my show.

At first I was reluctant: given the title and the gorgeous cover, I thought the novel might be a bit light and fluffy for my tastes, but no. I soon came to realize the title, EVERY HAPPINESS, is ironic: the characters, Deepa and Ruchi, would love every happiness to come to them, just like every other human being on the planet, but happiness for these characters doesn't quite click in. They have their problems.

The book is epic. It covers something like sixty years of their lives, from meeting as Catholic schoolgirls in India to their life in the U.S.

It's been weeks since I read EVERY HAPPINESS and I'm still thinking about it. (Too often I forget about books and what happened days after I read them.)

Yesterday I interviewed the author for Writers on Writing, and will air the show in the next couple of weeks. I loved talking to Reena Shah about the book and about craft. I hope you'll listen. You can find Writers on Writing wherever you consume your podcasts.

[Annie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is hard to rate, it was an interesting story. The writing is exceptional. I couldn't put it down because I seriously wanted just one, ONE redeeming thing to happen. But it never did. However, the story of being an immigrant, being in an arranged marriage, being loyal to your customs was interesting to me. The story was sad and brutal and like others have said, a lot like real life. That said, I read for comfort and escape, there was none of that happening in this story.

Maybe I just don't understand Indian customs but I never understood why Deepa and Ruchi denied themselves simple pleasures, would absolutely NOT take a compliment, would not comfort each other with words or otherwise, they lied to each other about everything!!! I don't think they were ever friends because their entire life long relationship was only surface level platitudes. We're talking Mean Girls level of backstabbing for their entire lives.

This was just the saddest shit I've ever read.

[Ashley Schober · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book kind of unbearable to get through. Every single character was miserable and honestly not very likeable. I didn’t find myself rooting for anyone. The writing was solid, I just did not care about any character in this book :/

[Beth · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m feeling generous with a two. I appreciate that Indian culture led these characters to do certain things, but I felt like it was a competition on who could be the most shallow and deplorable of the characters and they were in a dead heat throughout the book.

[Bill Silva · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m not sure I’ve read as depressing a novel in quite a while…just relentlessly bleak and heartbreaking for every single character. There are interesting themes here, and Shah explores the South Asian immigrant experience with insight and nuance…but it’s all pretty downbeat, at least for these two complicated families. I’m not sure a happier (or more balanced) book would have influenced my rating much—there are some structural problems with the multiplicity of narrative perspectives and the timeline shifts. And the ending is drawn out beyond all need or reason. I’ll read her again, though…there is much here to admire despite its shortcomings.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

disclaimer: i worked on this book

[Spandana Vagwala · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book because a friend of mine strongly recommended it! I appreciated Shah’s decision to abandon linearity of time and construct Deepa and Ruchi’s relationship to one another, themselves, and their families in split narratives and memories out of order. I wonder how many people in my own life that have immigrated from India can resonate with their story — and more so related to being confined by feelings that are unspeakable yet unyielding. Read this book!! The prose is also beautiful :)

[Alisa Van]

I don’t know how to feel about the ending… I think there was a lot of cultural nuances that I was unable to pick up on. I followed the gist, but I felt like there was a lot missing and undeveloped especially since it went back-and-forth between multiple perspectives and time - don’t know if this comes back to the cultural difference/user error or if this was a writing error (because the ending was very abrupt and vague) so now I’m just confused ???

[Sara · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to love this. I wanted it to have the same lyrical prose and character depth as Alka Joshi or Sujita Massey. But there just wasn't. Very little happened in the book, and the central premise seemed to vascillate. The characters were so flawed as to be nearly unlikeable.

[Susan Fichandler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well . I did like this book but found it very sad . Writing reviews is hard . I liked the characters but was frustrated that the author didn’t spend more time letting us get to know any of them more deeply .

[charlotte (moerreads) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Everyone sucked and was hard to tell apart and nothing interesting happened until the last 30%

[Jordan Catalana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Never thought I’d read a book that mentioned Hamden, CT

[Deborah D · Rating 3 out of 5]

Every Happiness seems to be a misnomer as the characters are just the opposite: sad, depressed, and unhappy.

Two schoolmates from India reunite in Connecticut. One seemingly has all of the trappings of wealth, yet is a cold character who on occasion, pities her peer. The other, well, she is seeking happiness.

Complimentary copy via LibrosFm.

[Patricia Davidson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It is the kind of book that keeps you engaged with the characters’ journeys on every page The prose is so detailed and precise that it took me back to memories of my childhood, friendships, family obligations and more. To only see the sadness in each woman is to miss the beauty and frightfulness of their deep love. I’m reading it for a second time. One reading falls short of all to glean about the power of crossing cultures and the greater power of touch—felt and unfelt

[Lauren Nguyen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wanted to like this more.

I did like how the author weaved Indian culture and current events into the novel seamlessly without overexplaining to the reader. I saw reviews comment that it’s depressing but realistic and I’d agree, but tough for me to enjoy bc there wasn’t anyone to root for.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75 stars

[Taylor Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

i saw someone else review this by saying that it was “very bleak but very realistic” and I think that’s the perfect way to sum up this book. every character had real flaws and the life they lived as first generation immigrant families navigating identity, culture and success was very honest. however, everything was depicted pretty negatively overall, making it less enjoyable to read to be completely honest

[Siva Ramakrishnan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't put down this gorgeously written, insistently human novel. The two women at the center of the story grab at your heart from the get-go. They are each scrappy and vulnerable in their own way, and their friendship and unsaid desire for each other take different shapes as they navigate increasingly complicated lives that they only partially chose. This novel is a love letter to all the Indians who immigrated to the U.S. in the 70's - the audacity of leaving everything they knew to make lives in places like Connecticut, making sense of lawns and department stores, gossiping all the while about each other.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the writing in this novel is solid, I wish the characters would have been more likable, especially Deepa. I cared about Ruchi and her fate, but it was hard to care about the other characters when they were so selfish and judgemental. I understand that Deepa was bitter because she couldn't live as she wanted, but it was hard to see how she took her resentment out on others, especially on Ruchi, whom she loved and desired, but kept pushing away out of shame. I found this book sadly realistic, and just too depressing.

[shloka · Rating 4 out of 5]

title of the book is every happiness but nobody is happy…

[Riley O · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every Happiness by Reena Shah was a great read for me, one of my favorite 2026 books so far. The timeline of the book was perfect for me, we spent the right amount of time with each character in each respective period of their life. I even enjoyed hoping between Deepa and Ruchi raising their children and seeing Moksh and Anu act as they grow up. The dynamic between Moksh and Anu is super interesting to me, especially when looking at their mothers' relationships and how they view each other's lives. I'd honestly love to learn more about what each of these characters does after this book takes place.

I'll always love critiques of the American Dream, and I feel like the way this novel does it from different angles was interesting to me. You have the facade of the American Dream that Ruchi is constantly chasing and Deepa is trying to maintain, both are unrealistic and slowly unravel over the time till they can no longer sustain themselves and their relationship. Neither of these women are perfect, but I think that is what makes them so interesting. They love each other deeply but there is also envy that is deeply rooted in the foundation of their relationship that honestly never really allows either of them to reach their full potential. I think this is a great debut for Shah, he writing was smooth and she was delicate with these characters and their story. Her pacing was great, I never once felt like I was missing parts of the story or felt like it was dragging on. I didn't... love the ending of the book. It wasn't terrible and I understand the symbolism, but I also felt like that wasn't the ending the characters deserve. But, maybe that's the ultimate reflection of these characters' lives.

I would recommend this book to others, and speak positively about it if it came up in conversation, but I don't know if it would be shortlisted as a favorite book of all time, so that's why it sits at 4/5 stars for me.

[Smitha Parameswaran · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have never read a book more depressing than this one. There are many serious, heavy-themed books out there, but they usually offer something redeeming—some glimmer of meaning, growth, or hope. This one does not. Not a single character felt likable or evoked genuine empathy. I kept reading, expecting that all the darkness would eventually lead somewhere, that some light would break through. It never did.

Deepa and Ruchi meet in school, bound by a need for each other, but their relationship unfolds like an exhausting cat-and-mouse game. Watching it play out is deeply frustrating. Their sexuality, too, is handled in a way that feels muted and almost shameful, rather than explored with depth or honesty. Life moves on, and their respective marriages pull them apart for a time—Deepa marries a doctor, and Ruchi becomes the wife of an engineer with little ambition. Eventually, both end up in the United States, where their dynamic resumes.

There are moments when you feel a flicker of sympathy for Ruchi, who desperately wants Deepa’s attention and affection. But Deepa seems to take more satisfaction in being wanted than in genuinely reciprocating. She keeps Ruchi close only when it suits her—out of boredom or fleeting concern—never with real care. This cycle repeats, and it becomes increasingly bleak to watch.

Then come the children. Deepa has a beautiful baby girl first, and Ruchi soon follows with a boy. Instead of joy, Deepa feels a sharp jealousy—having a son was something she had always wanted. She cannot bear the idea of Ruchi having something she does not, even though Deepa is far more secure financially. As if that weren’t enough, Ruchi’s husband is deeply resentful of their friendship and envious of Deepa’s wealth. Altogether, it makes for an incredibly frustrating reading experience.

Perhaps this is just my perspective, but the book simply did not work for me.

Just noticed this - The only happiness in this book is in its Cover / Jacket

[Paula W · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to Bloomsbury Publishing, Reena Shah (author), Edelweiss, and Libro.fm for providing an advance digital review copy and advance listening copy of Every Happiness (narrated by Deepa Samuel). Their generosity did not influence my review in any way.

Every Happiness is a story focusing on a lifelong relationship between Deepa and Ruchi. They met at Catholic school in India at 12 years old and immediately connected. They grew up and got married, one to a doctor and one to an engineer, and made their separate ways across the world to the US. They each dealt with the issues of being immigrants, raising first-generation Indian American children, class disparities, jealousy, loveless semi-arranged marriages, power struggles, and their own confusing, complex feelings toward each other over the years.

I enjoyed the book, though neither Deepa nor Ruchi are good likable people. There was nothing to root for here, except hoping their kids can get therapy and turn out okay. There is no big drama; it’s a story of people growing up and changing. Sometimes those changes are accepted and sometimes they aren’t. Sometimes people answer your calls and sometimes they don’t. Sometimes you know the reason why and sometimes you don’t.

I think book clubs might have a lot to talk about here. Class disparities, destructive parenting styles, defrauding the government for good reasons vs. bad reasons, etc. For people who like action books, this one won’t be for you. But there are some interesting character studies that can be done. For the audiobook, Deepa Samuel does a great job and I really enjoyed her narration. 3.75 stars

[Kazuma · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve long been a lurker on Goodreads, but finally bit the bullet and created an account because I read an advance copy of Every Happiness and absolutely loved it — and was honestly dismayed to see some of the overly reductive critiques when I looked it up to see what kind of reception it was getting ahead of release.

What struck me most is how real these characters feel. They are not unlikeable — they are people: flawed, contradictory, yearning, and all the more compelling for it. Deepa and Ruchi’s friendship is messy, deep, tender, and sometimes prickly, because it mirrors the knots we all carry in our closest relationships. Shah doesn’t soften their humanity or give easy answers; instead she lets their choices, regrets, and desires unfold with unflinching precision.

This is a novel that makes you sit with discomfort and tenderness at the same time: the jealousy that can live inside love, the class divides that shape even intimate bonds, and the quiet ways we hurt the people we care about most. Every Happiness gives its characters room to breathe, to err, and to be fiercely themselves — and that’s what makes their story linger long after the last page.

The prose is clear and thoughtful, the emotional landscape rich, and the cultural texture — spanning decades and continents — woven with nuance. I found myself thinking about these women long after finishing, seeing in them parts of myself and of the people I’ve known. If you’re open to a story that portrays friendship and family with complexity and depth, this book will stay with you. Highly recommended.

[Esosa · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75 stars*

A complicated, layered story of friendship, love, and sacrifice, Every Happiness follows two women, Deepa and Ruchi, across decades, from when they first meet at age twelve in a Catholic school in India to their adult lives in the U.S.

Complicated because while these two grow up side by side—dreaming together, planning together, strategizing their escape from life in India and toward a future in America—there’s always something simmering underneath. An unspoken competition. A quiet jealousy. A constant need to prove who’s doing better, who made the “right” choices, especially from Deepa’s perspective.

As the story unfolds, it becomes clear that this is also a novel deeply concerned with choice: the choices we believe we have versus the ones we don’t, the selfishness that can sometimes hide beneath the guise of sacrifice and love, and the familiar disconnect between immigrant parents and the children who grow up in the countries they move to. There’s also a heavy focus on the pressure we place on ourselves: how we measure success, how we show up in our communities, and how much of our identity becomes wrapped up in comparison.

This is a good story with a lot of layers. The characters are deeply flawed and often unlikeable but intentionally so. Their messiness, contradictions, and poor decisions are what make the story feel real, complicated, and ultimately human.

Thank you to Libro fm for the advanced listening copy!

[Autumn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ruchi and Deepa meet as children at school in India. They forge a bond, held together by a secret they witness. When Deepa marries and moves to the U.S., Ruchi soon follows. Their lives intertwine through decades. As each deals with the challenges of immigrating and raising children, they find themselves growing apart, coming back together, having opinions on the other's life, doing favors for each other, but never forgetting. They love each other.

So much sadness drenches these pages. Ruchi, in particular, seems like she can't get ahead. While she watches Deepa seemingly live the dream. But Deepa has doubts about her life. She wants freedom. Ruchi also wants freedom. Both hide from their husbands.

I found the women's relationships with their children the most intriguing. While Ruchi smothers her son and he responds by trying to control what he can. I appreciated the representation of a boy with an eating disorder, though it was difficult for me to read. Deepa practically ignores her daughter, even though they're alike. While her daughter lives freely, Deepa will not take that success as a way to finally be with who she wants. Their relationships highlight how difficult it is to parent, especially in a new country.

The husbands were not very well developed, but that seems purposeful. They are background characters, mostly serving as ways to complicate Ruchi and Deepa's relationship on multiple levels.

[Margie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Deepa and Ruchi are young girls in India and later continue their friendship when both of them marry and emigrate to the U.S. Deepa's husband is a doctor who does very well financially. They put on airs, have fancy parties, and build a beach house in Connecticut. Deepa's husband is a civil engineer, but never successfully and ends up demoted, and eventually let go. Ruchi goes to work at Deepa's husband's office. While there, Ruchi finds fradulent billing irregularities, which she reports, causing Deepa's husband to be deported back to India.

This book was a turn off in some respect. Why mention all the acne and pimple popping? So much reference to facial hair removal. Threading, plucking, tweezing, and bleaching. I recognize this is part of the culture, but it didn't need to take so much of a role in the book?

Deepa and Ruchi's relationship is always fraught. There is a disconnect. Deepa is the queen bee lets Ruchi know it. At one time they were planning to start a business - an Indian cultural center, but Deepa takes control and it becomes more like a temple, since that's what the donors want. It is also the story of their two children. Deepa's daughter is gay but closeted. Ruchi's son has cleft palate surgery and remains an outsider, never really establishing friends.

I love to read books set in another country, and books about cultural differences, and I have read several other books about Indian families immigrating to the U.S. This was my least favorite.

[Winthrop Han · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every Happiness is an amazing debut novel that tells the story of a lifelong relationship between two women who immigrate to Connecticut from India and spans roughly fifty years. The two friends maintain a difficult friendship with each other and with their own abilities to face their sexual identities. It's a relationship that is framed (or restrained) by and within the wider social, cultural, and financial circumstances of their lives—from trivial to nearly insurmountable—that ultimately hinder any actualization of love or happiness.

While there are a number of identities at conflict, both characters are framed by three main identities, which they handle with varying strategies and levels of success. The first is as a wife, as both are obligated to marry as a patriarchal precondition to any opportunity in life. The second is as Indian immigrants in America. This is the main focus of the novel, and within this identity the characters navigate class, religion, economics, and nationalism (and food). The last identity is as mothers to their children. Their relationships to their husbands and children (each with one child) frame their repressed sexual identity. Deepa, the more assimilated and affluent, seemingly enjoys the trappings of golden handcuffs, while Ruchi is resistant, poor, and struggling for independence. As mothers, Deepa is inattentive, essentially in denial of even expressing love to her child (who is gay), while Ruchi's son is a scarred loner. In this sense, the husbands play the role of societal restrictions/constraints, and the children represent their own personal projections.

Ultimately, spoiler alert, this is a sad story of unfulfilled possibilities. In one sense, one can understand the desire for some kind of heroism that leads to a happy ending, but the novel resists the neatness of that type of resolution, which makes it all the more compelling. Yes, it does leave you sad; in doing so, maybe it also speaks to the need to act heroically, and for that there is optimism.