More Happy Than Not

Consider the ethics of the Leteo procedure. This is addressed explicitly several times in the text, from private conversations to the demonstration outside the institute. Is the procedure ethical? Are the qualifying criteria adequately discriminating? What ethical concerns are raised by Aaron’s experience before, during, and after the procedure?

Analyze the form of the novel. How does Silvera use the dynamic timelines to add impact and significance to previously mundane scenes from the book? What effect does this have on the method of unreliable narration?

The novel is divided into several sections, with each referencing a type or level of happiness: happiness, a different happiness, unhappiness, less happy than before, more happy than not. Discuss the effects of this structure and analyze the relationship between these section titles and Aaron’s experiences with them.

Most stories are limited by the narrator’s perspective. We know that Aaron is an unreliable narrator, so approach the events of the novel from the perspective of another character. What lessons might Genevieve or Thomas learn from this experience?

Aaron’s suicide attempt leaves him with a smile-shaped scar on his wrist. It is only half of a happy face. Is this symbol significant in the context of the novel’s meditation on happiness? Is the curved line an obvious reference to a smiley face, or does the reader need Aaron to make the connection for them? How does that answer change the scar’s symbolic value?

What values does Aaron’s community endorse? Think of the larger community as well as his smaller friend group. How are these values expressed and policed? What do they indicate about the way this community interacts with the world and each other?

Art occupies a lot of space in this novel. Choose a character and analyze their artistic expression. What are they trying to say with their creativity? How does it serve them as individuals? With whom do they share their art? What motivates them to create or share it?

The characters in this novel spend a significant amount of time on roofs. The location provides an unusual view of the world and, potentially, safety from scrutiny. Why do they choose rooftops as a place to spend time together? How does the roof space function in contrast to other locations in the novel?