About the Book
Eleventh-grader Jacob Wasserman is just trying to get by. Under the radar, he spends his weekends at home by himself, leaning on TV and video games to distract himself from the weight — these days we would call it depression — inside him.
But he’ s secretly got a quirky sense of humor, and, when he starts letting it show, he finally gets noticed. In fact, before he knows it, Jacob’ s ability to keep people entertained has drawn him into a full-time social life, complete with a circle of friends, parties, and even a girlfriend.
But is this newfound acceptance enough to unlock meaningful well-being? Is this entertainer even the real Jacob?
Format: eBook (246 pages) Publisher: Fitzroy Books
Publication date: 10th September 2024 Genre: Young Adult
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My Review
My teenage years are a long way behind me, I’m female, British, not Jewish and went to an all girls school so you might imagine it would be difficult for me to relate in any way to sixteen-year old Jacob Wasserman. Yet I’m sure we can all think of occasions when we’ve felt like an outsider or that we don’t fit in, or doubted if our friendships will last or we’ll ever find that special person. So even if the teenage angst and dating worries are a distant memory, I found myself really absorbed in Jacob’s struggles, cheering at his little moments of joy and feeling sad for him when things aren’t going so well.
Jacob is intelligent and witty but often has to fight the inclination to hide himself away, to retreat into himself when the going gets tough. He often feels down but not only for himself but for the sadness of others, the sadness in the world even. ‘He would be walking down the street and see a dent in a car, for example, or he’d be on the bus and he’d hear two people arguing bitterly, or he’d look out a window and see a person walking slowly by themselves…’ He calls how this makes him feel ‘the howl’.
Things seem to change when Jacob becomes part of a circle of friends who refer to themselves as the ‘Pack’. They hang out together before and after school, they go to nightclubs and parties together, they introduce one another to different types of music. But when members of the group begin to pair up, the dynamics change and Jacob fears he may become an outsider again. He doesn’t help himself by bottling up his feelings so they risk exploding into anger.
I loved the relationship between Jacob and his mother, their companiable banter as they eat dinner or watch a TV show together, Jacob’s ability to make his mother laugh. (His father is off the scene having started a new life in another city with another partner.) As well as working all hours to make ends meet, Jacob’s mother has her own issues – in particular, the dark period she experiences every November – but she possesses an instinctive sense of Jacob’s needs, offering support and encouragement rather than hectoring him like his father. Jacob’s sister, Deanna, who is away at college is also a source of practical advice. Sometimes Jacob just needs someone to help him see a way through the darkness to the other side, or just convince him there is an ‘other side’.
The author captures the essence of the late 1980s through the films and TV shows the characters watch, the video games Jacob and his friends play, the music they listen to, the clothes they wear, and the food they eat. In case you’re thinking the story sounds a bit of a downer, you’ll find a good dose of humour in there too.
Possible Happiness is a perceptive coming-of-age story about facing up to the challenges in life and finding your place in the world.
I received a digital review copy courtesy of the author.
In three words: Insightful, funny, poignant
About the Author
David Ebenbach is the author of ten books of fiction, poetry, and non-fiction, winners of awards like the Drue Heinz Literature Prize and the Juniper Prize, among others. He lives with his family in Washington, DC, where he works at Georgetown University, teaching creative writing and literature and supporting faculty and grad students in their own student-centered and inclusive teaching. [Bio/photo: Amazon]
Connect with David
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What Cathy Read Next... 
This sounds like a good read! My teenage years are far behind me, too, but Jacob seems to be an engaging character and his story is one I’d be interested in following.
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I liked it more than I expected, which is good since it was a review copy sent to my by the author!
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