Ode to Happiness

Ode to Happiness is a grown-up’s picture book, a charming reminder not to take oneself too seriously. With drawings by painter Alexandra Grant, text by actor Keanu Reeves, and in collaboration with mutual friend Janey Bergam, this facsimile artists’ book is about making the best of a bad situation. In the tradition of a classic “hurtin’ song”, Reeves’ text externalizes a melancholy internal monologue and subtly pokes fun at it. Grant’s images, delicately realised in sombre inky washes, reflect the dark and light, the pathos and humour of the text. Neither entirely earnest nor wholly ironic, Ode to Happiness is both a meditation and a gentle tease about how we cope with life’s sorrows.