Katherine Center's Happiness for Beginners (2015) is a novel about Helen Carpenter, a divorced schoolteacher who hopes that a three-week wilderness survival course will leave her feeling confident and renewed. The unexpected presence of her younger brother's best friend on the trip forces Helen to confront her traumatic childhood and her tendency to keep love at a distance.
At 32, Helen works as a first-grade teacher in Boston. Having divorced her alcoholic husband a year ago, she believes an outdoor survival hiking trip is the challenge she needs to regain her confidence. Helen's plans are disrupted by Jake Archer, the 22-year-old best friend and roommate of her younger brother, Duncan. On their way to the hike in Wyoming, Jake seduces Helen, who finds herself very attracted to Jake despite his youth. However, Jake turns Helen down when she initiates sex, saying she deserves a man less selfish than him. Feeling rejected, Helen tells him to pretend on the trip that they don't know each other. During the hike, Jake's winning personality makes him the star of the group, while Helen finds herself out of place and often lagging behind. However, Helen pursues her goal of learning survival skills, impressing their instructor. She simultaneously works through her family history, tracing the roots of her resentment and distrust to her traumatic past. Because of other hikers' gossip, Helen believes Jake has started a relationship with a fellow hiker. However, after the trip ends, Jake surprises Helen at her grandmother's in Illinois. He confesses his love for her and admits that shame over the fact he has a vision condition that will make him blind was holding him back from pursuing her. Helen says she loves him too, and the novel ends with them consummating their relationship.
Published in 2015, Happiness for Beginners explores themes of control, resentment, abandonment, powerlessness, and appreciation. The title is a reference to Hiking for Beginners, the name of the survival course Helen and Jake take part in.
Netflix is developing Happiness for Beginners into a romantic comedy that will star Ellie Kemper and Luke Grimes as Helen and Jake.
