The Perpetual Book Club - The Ha-Ha

Jennifer Dawson's The Ha-Ha — a 1961 novel of breakdown and belonging, discussed.

Please join us to discuss The Ha-Ha by Jennifer Dawson. Originally published in 1961, The Ha-Ha follows Josephine as she experiences a breakdown while studying at Oxford and spends the next several months in a mental institution. Influenced by Dawson’s own experience in hospital as both patient and social worker, The Ha-Ha explores mental illness, the sense of belonging, and coming of age. “Highly original and deeply relatable, The Ha-Ha is a radiant and powerful work that shines an unflinching.