Joy

None of the characters in Jonathan Lee's Joy are particularly sympathetic. Some of them are downright unpleasant. Neither will the story - about a suicidal young woman, the titular Joy, and the troubles that have led her to this state of mind - fill you with any joy whatsoever. However, despite this, there is something eminently readable about this novel. I kept wanting to turn the page.

Perhaps it's Lee's decision to tell the story from several different viewpoints that makes it so engaging. He captures his characters well, bringing out the distinct speech patterns and contrasting characteristics of four people connected to Joy as they talk to a counsellor following her very public fall off a high balcony.

Maybe it's also the format he's chosen, cleverly interweaving the viewpoints of these four characters with Joy's own experiences in the 24 hours preceding her fall. As little details are enticingly revealed, the reader comes to understand - more than some of the other characters - exactly why this young woman came to be where she is on this Friday afternoon.

Joy is clever, fast-moving and compelling. It's also slightly ugly and at times a little bit too pleased with itself. But it can't be denied, it's an enjoyable read.