“Why are you so unhappy?” That’s the question that Zeke Pappas, a thirty-three-year-old scholar, asks almost everybody he meets as part of an obsessive project, “The Inventory of American Unhappiness.” The answers he receives—a mix of true sadness and absurd complaint—create a collage of woe. Zeke, meanwhile, remains delightfully oblivious to the increasingly harsh realities that threaten his daily routine, opting instead to focus his energy on finding the perfect mate so that he can gain custody of his orphaned nieces. Following steps outlined in a women’s magazine, the ever-optimistic Zeke identifies some “prospects”: a newly divorced neighbor, a coffeehouse barista, his administrative assistant, and Sofia Coppola (“Why not aim high?”). A clairvoyant when it comes to the Starbucks orders of strangers, a quixotic renegade when it comes to the federal bureaucracy, and a devoted believer in the afternoon cocktail and the evening binge, Zeke has an irreverent voice that is a marvel of lacerating wit and heart-on-sleeve emotion, underscored by a creeping paranoia and made more urgent by the hope that if he can only find a wife, he might have a second chance at life.

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Bookseller: The Book House - St. Louis (US)
Bookseller's Inventory #: 230727-GR10
Title: My American Unhappiness
Author: Bakopoulos, Dean
Format/Binding: Paperback
Book Condition: Used - Very Good
Quantity Available: 1
ISBN 10: 0547549105
ISBN 13: 9780547549101
Publisher: Mariner Books
Date Published: 2010
Keywords: Fiction, Novels, Young Men, Relationships

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The Book House - St. Louis

All orders shipped within 48 hours with delivery confirmation. We want you to be satisfied with your order and will make every effort to describe accurately and ship promptly. Return claims must be filed within two weeks of receiving item. Returned items may incur a small processing/handling fee depending on the circumstances.

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The Book House - St. Louis

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Biblio member since 2005

Maplewood, Missouri

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About The Book House - St. Louis

Booksellers since 1986. We have over 350,000 books in our open shop located in the St. Louis, Missouri area about 45,000 listed online. A portion of all proceeds support Second Chapter Life Center for young adults with special needs.

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Trade Paperback: Used to indicate any paperback book that is larger than a mass-market paperback and is often more similar in size to a hardcover...