“Happy to Have Nothing” by Stuart Hobrow

They say that hardships make us stronger. After losing her mother, Mel would laugh in your face if you tried to comfort her with these words of general wisdom. The truth is that every person deals with hardships and grief in their own way, and not always even those who love us can find the right words to help us.

“Happy to Have Nothing” by Stuart Hobrow follows the lives of Mel, Ali, and Rob, as they go through their adolescent years, and then the story makes a leap, and we meet adult Melanie, Alison, and Robert.

When they are teenagers, the situations the characters face don’t solely revolve around traditional school drama. Their friendship progresses, and it promises to blossom into a strong bond between them, such as people carry through their whole life. But as it often happens, life has other plans for them.

“Happy to Have Nothing” by Stuart Hobrow is a story that won’t leave readers indifferent. Everyone will find something to think about after they turn the last page. Not every character is likable, and that’s one of the many things that I liked about this book. You have to dig deep to understand why they act the way they do – not like superheroes, but as real people.

The book threw me into the reflections about my own life experiences. What gives us strength not to step on the path of self-destruction if life doesn’t treat us kindly? Why do some people, after they went through a traumatising experience, want others to feel the same while others realise the value of kindness?

“Happy to Have Nothing” is a book that makes those who are reading it, think, smile, maybe shed a tear or two. It affects you in the same ways as life itself. And like life, it surprises us, just when we think that we’ve seen it all and nothing can make us believe in miracles again.

Almost always the reason why people hurt each other is that they are in pain. And it’s the easiest thing to write them off as bad or worthless. “Happy to Have Nothing” unfolds all the many facets of where our experiences lead us and how important it is to grab the opportunities life throws at us.