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Joy

Jonathan Lee (Goodreads Author),

Mandy Weston (Narrator),

Rupert Farley (Narrator)

3.38 · Rating details · 161 ratings · 23 reviews

Did she jump? Did she fall? Will she wake? On an ordinary Friday afternoon in the office, talented young lawyer Joy Stephens plummets forty feet onto a marble floor. In the shadow of this baffling event, the lives of those closest to her begin to collide and change in unexpected ways. There is Dennis, her disgraced husband, who finds consolation in books; her colleague Pet ...more

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Published July 12th 2016 by Audible Studios on Brilliance Audio (first published June 7th 2012)

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· 161 ratings · 23 reviews

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Aug 14, 2015 Susan rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Having enjoyed Jonathan Lee’s, “High Dive,” I was keen to read his earlier books and came across this one. Joy is the name of the central character of this novel; a successful lawyer who, from the very beginning of this book, we are aware has just plummeted forty foot from a viewing platform in her Central London office block to land on the marble floor in front of the assembled staff…

It took me a little while to get comfortable with the style of this novel. Some of the chapters are told directl ...more

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Jan 21, 2016 EpidermaS rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: posiadam-w-papierze

Pewnego dnia Joy, ambitna prawniczka pracująca w korporacji, spada z biurowego tarasu widokowego na nie mniej biurową posadzkę. Co doprowadziło do tak nieszczęśliwego wypadku? Czy istnieją choć najmniejsze szanse na happy end?

Książka była szumnie reklamowana jako „satyra na współczesne życie w biurze prawniczym, z kilkunastogodzinnym dniem pracy, olbrzymim stresem, tragikomicznymi rytuałami, flirtami i konfliktami, ale również do bólu prawdziwy obraz życia współczesnych trzydziestokilkulatków.” Pewnego dnia Joy, ambitna prawniczka pracująca w korporacji, spada z biurowego tarasu widokowego na nie mniej biurową posadzkę. Co doprowadziło do tak nieszczęśliwego wypadku? Czy istnieją choć najmniejsze szanse na happy end?

Książka była szumnie reklamowana jako „satyra na współczesne życie w biurze prawniczym, z kilkunastogodzinnym dniem pracy, olbrzymim stresem, tragikomicznymi rytuałami, flirtami i konfliktami, ale również do bólu prawdziwy obraz życia współczesnych trzydziestokilkulatków.” I ten właśnie opis sprawił, że po nią sięgnęłam. Cóż, głupia ja. Stara a głupia (strach pomyśleć, że lepiej już nie będzie ;)). Bardzo mało w tej książkowej korporacji klimatu korporacyjnego. Może się nie znam, może nie powinnam się wypowiadać, bo korporacji unikam bardziej uparcie niż owoców morza na talerzu, ale po prostu nie tego oczekiwałam. Choć eventy, meetingi i asapy przewijają się w tle, to nie są one głównym tematem książki.

Może co bystrzejsi już się domyślili, że głównym tematem książki pt. „Joy” jest.. prawniczka Joy! Spryciarze z was. ;) Otóż imię naszej bohaterki jest nieco przewrotne, bo radości w niej niewiele. Życie jej nie oszczędzało, ale sama też znacznie przyczyniła się do tego, że jej historia jest… nazywajmy rzeczy po imieniu – jest strasznie popieprzona. Joy ma wystarczająco wiele powodów, by skończyć ze sobą z własnej woli. Pikanterii dodaje fakt, że wiele osób miałoby ochotę jej w tym pomóc. I choć w tym momencie większość z was pomyślała pewnie, że pomysł na historię świetnie się broni, więc i treść musi być wciągająca, wyprowadzę was z błędu. Treść jest mocno przeciętna, a „Joy” to jedna z tych niewielu powieści, w której to forma zasługuje na słowa uznania.

Autor zaszalał i porwał się na „przeplatankę”. Rozdziały, w których opisywany jest świat z punktu widzenia Joy, przeplatają się ze świetnymi rozmowami Doktora Odd z pracownikami korporacji. Doktor jest terapeutą, który po traumatycznym wypadku Joy został zatrudniony przez korporację po to, by wspierać pozostałych korpobraci i korposiostry. I tu znów autor zasługuje na brawa – rozdziały z sesjami terapeutycznymi przypominają formę zapisków lub nagrań doktora. O jego istnieniu wiemy tylko z wypowiedzi rozmówców. Choć zwracają się do niego, jego wypowiedzi nigdy nie zostają przedstawione czytelnikowi.

Podsumowując: forma – super (i wcale nie mówimy o jej przeroście nad treścią). Szkoda jednak, że sama historia średnio zapada w pamięć. ...more

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Oct 07, 2012 Helena Halme rated it it was ok · review of another edition

As well as the title of the book, Joy is also the name of the main character in this London based novel. She’s a successful lawyer who one day plummets forty feet to a marble floor.

Joy’s story is told from several perspectives and two time-frames. We follow the final 24 hours in Joy’s joyless life before she falls. Her story is interspersed by monologues of the people close to Joy, who – on the insistence of the City Law Firm Joy works for – afterwards talk to a therapist about the incident the ...more

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Jun 01, 2016 Kelly Furniss rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This was picked as our May book for book club. In an office in London's square mile a talented young lawyer falls forty feet to her death. In the shadow of this event, the lives of those closest to her begin to collide and change as her life & death are examined. A good strong story, humour, intriguing characters and twists and turns make this a page turner. ...more

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Oct 28, 2018 Dr rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: never-going-to-finish-not-for-me

I picked this up in a charity shop because of the title (!) But it was just too weird and strangely written for my taste and so I could not finish it.

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Oct 16, 2020 Tolkien InMySleep rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: want-to-own

Clever, funny and very human

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Oct 11, 2016 Victoria Evangelina Allen rated it liked it

Shelves: fiction, audible-com, in-english

The characters are vividly developed; the writing is talented and engaging; but overall I found this book quite depressing: I guess, the author goes too deep into small-ish thoughts and motives of his people, and while it's a great skill and an overall plus, it left a very downing impression on me. I enjoyed the unconventional ending. I almost want to give it four stars, although, initially, I settled for three. ...more

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Sep 26, 2012 David Hebblethwaite rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Joy Stephens would appear to have everything to live for – she’s a successful City lawyer, about to be made a partner at the age of 33 – but she is planning to commit suicide before the day is out. When we first meet her, we get an insight into the sorts of fractures that riddle Joy’s ostensibly perfect life, as she arrives home in the early hours to find Dennis, her husband of five years, with the couple’s regular Thursday-night call girl, whom Dennis was supposed to cancel this week.

It soon be Joy Stephens would appear to have everything to live for – she’s a successful City lawyer, about to be made a partner at the age of 33 – but she is planning to commit suicide before the day is out. When we first meet her, we get an insight into the sorts of fractures that riddle Joy’s ostensibly perfect life, as she arrives home in the early hours to find Dennis, her husband of five years, with the couple’s regular Thursday-night call girl, whom Dennis was supposed to cancel this week.

It soon becomes clear that Joy fell from the platform at that evening’s ceremony announcing her promotion, and now lies in a coma. The novel alternates between chapters following Joy through her final day, and the first-person interviews given to the law firm’s counsellor by four other characters: Joy’s colleague Peter; her academic husband, Dennis; personal trainer Samir; and Joy’s PA, Barbara.

Joy is Jonathan Lee’s second novel (following 2010’s Who Is Mr Satoshi?), and it’s a quite superb piece of work. Take the characterisation, for example: Lee uses four first-person voices, and sharply differentiates them all; their respective owners come right off the page (as does Joy herself). Moreover, though they may seem easy enough to categorise at first, all the main characters reveal a subtle complexity as the novel goes on: Dennis may come across as just a long-winded eccentric, but his reaction to Joy’s fall suggests a steelier side; Barbara may be an unpleasant gossip-monger, but we also see how she has been frustrated by circumstance. Even the loathsome Peter, who has very few redeeming qualities, elicits a certain amount of empathy as Lee portrays a man who found his niche and then has it taken away.

Lee’s book is also simply a great pleasure to read: its prose is a finely-tuned instrument, discursive and sharp by turns, but always with an irresistible flow. Its plot takes unexpected turns which undermine some of the assumptions one has likely been forming about what is going to happen and why. As a result, the pages turn ever more furiously, no matter how much the ending is supposedly pre-ordained.

Perhaps more than anything else, Joy strikes me as a novel about ambition, finding a place in life, and dealing with what happens when that place proves unstable. So, Joy has achieved success, but not without sacrifice; and now various factors combine to make her question whether everything has been worth it. Peter might be said to have played the career game more cannily than Joy, but even he is insufficiently prepared when life moves on. Samir has tried to make something of himself, but ends up caught in his own ritualistic behaviour patterns. The book’s title becomes a pun, as joy proves a quality as elusive (though nonetheless glimpsed occasionally) as Joy the person is to the other characters considering her personality. But the strengths of Joy the novel are far from elusive, and this fascinating patchwork character study signals that Jonathan Lee is a name to follow. ...more

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Jun 12, 2013 Kat rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Kat's Review

Reading this book was like watching a train wreck happen in slow motion, in the sense that the storyline jumps from Joy's story to the narratives of several others, drawing out the telling of Joy's tale. We know from the start that Joy is suicidal, and that in fact she intends to take her life the following day, the day of her promotion to make partner in the law firm where she works. The novel takes the reader through that day in a manner that some will love, and others will hate. Kat's Review

Reading this book was like watching a train wreck happen in slow motion, in the sense that the storyline jumps from Joy's story to the narratives of several others, drawing out the telling of Joy's tale. We know from the start that Joy is suicidal, and that in fact she intends to take her life the following day, the day of her promotion to make partner in the law firm where she works. The novel takes the reader through that day in a manner that some will love, and others will hate. The chapters that follow Joy on what she intends to be her last day are interspersed with chapters featuring people from Joy's life, during their sessions with a counsellor who has been called in to help her coworkers (and her husband) cope with the aftermath of her fall. While the chronological account of Joy's day is interesting, I would argue that the real story is the one revealed in fits and starts through the counsellor sessions.

Although the storyline is quite different, the feel of this book reminded me a bit of The Casual Vacancy. Selfish, self-absorbed adults are the norm, each unable to muster much concern for anyone else, with a few surprising exceptions. The almost overwhelming dullness of the day to day lives of most of the characters is perhaps why the comparison comes to mind.

The web of secrets and lies runs deep, and it is in their unraveling that the real reasons for Joy's attempted suicide come to the surface. The reader learns much about the true nature of the characters through their one-sided conversations with the counsellor.

There's no doubt that the author is a talented writer. The story is well crafted and leaves very little undone, but I found it difficult to truly connect with any of the main characters, particularly Joy. At first I felt sympathy for her, but as time goes on, she becomes less likeable, making it more and more difficult for me to become invested in the outcome of her fall. Although most of her coworkers were a bit tough to empathize with, her husband Dennis perhaps was the most difficult of all. There was a malicious undercurrent to his personality that came through from the start. Certain characters brought some levity to the book, but it was always in that cringe worthy way that occurs when someone has put their foot in their mouth without even knowing it.

Rating: A Good Read

I wavered on the rating because while I can't say that I connected well with any of the characters, I was still interested enough in the story to keep reading, even when I had a pretty good idea of how things were going to work out. Recommended for someone looking to read something well written and just a little different from the usual. Certainly an author to watch. ...more

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May 29, 2014 Lauren rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I really enjoyed this book. Jonathan Lee adopts quite a brave prose style of different characters talking to a counsellor with the counsellor's voice edited out and/or internal monologues. This prose style takes a while to get used to, but ultimately I think it works very well. The perspective of each character shifts over time as does the reader's perception of each character. Considering that the novel is only 308 pages long and it is only Jonathan Lee's second published novel, I am very impre I really enjoyed this book. Jonathan Lee adopts quite a brave prose style of different characters talking to a counsellor with the counsellor's voice edited out and/or internal monologues. This prose style takes a while to get used to, but ultimately I think it works very well. The perspective of each character shifts over time as does the reader's perception of each character. Considering that the novel is only 308 pages long and it is only Jonathan Lee's second published novel, I am very impressed by the skill and confidence with which Jonathan Lee manages to orchestrate his cast of characters and peel back the layers of their personalities, perspectives, memories, betrayals, and regrets. A number of the characters are like caricatures of people who I have worked with over the years (although I won't say which people!!), and elements of the novel and the law firm at which it is set are disturbingly familiar to me. This is probably because I used to work at the same law firm in the City of London as the author, Jonathan Lee, at the same time (although it was a huge law firm and we did not cross paths, as far as I remember). Although Joy is clearly a work of fiction and some elements are exaggerated (grossly exaggerated, in some cases), there are definitely some kernels of truth and fact, and some similarities or parallels with the law firm at which we used to work and some of the characters who worked there. Some parts of the novel are shocking and disturbing, and a few parts are in poor taste in my opinion, but I think that is designed to show the variety of characters and how complex some people can be compared to how simple some other people can be. Life is often ugly, and Joy shows us the uglier side of life in the City of London. But it is not a depressing read. There is a vein of black humour running through the book and many passages are very witty. I even laughed out loud in some places. There are also some positive moments and messages in Joy, and an ending for some of the characters that is positive and redemptive.

It is difficult to describe Joy much further without including spoilers or psychoanalysing the characters (neither of which I wish to do), but you should read it and experience it for yourself. I highly recommend this intelligent, well-written, witty and complex novel. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did. ...more

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Jun 21, 2012 Mar Dixon rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Excellent novel by Jonathan Lee. Wasn't really sure where the book was taking me at first as it seemed to be laid out like a script but I soon recognized my role as a reader. The characters flip from talking to a counsellor and talking diary entry form. It sounds confusing but it truly does work and honestly, I can't see the book written any other way.

Joy is a complicated character that has issues from the start. Peter (Joy's husband) was a bit .. well I didn't quite get him at first but then f ...more

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Jan 13, 2013 Shriram Sivaramakrishnan rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Joy, simply said, was a joy to read. Jonathan Lee had taken great pains in etching out the characters. He had nicely brought to the fore the psyche of a person with suicidal tendency. The book moves in a melodramatic ways, exploring the external environment (including the people with whom the protagonist works) of a suicidal mind. In doing so, the novel moves lacks the 'unputdownable effect' that we've come to expect from novels of this genre.

However, the novel does move in a brisk pace in order ...more

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Apr 23, 2016 Val rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: discuss-it

Does Joy jump, fall or was she pushed?
There were plenty of witnesses and the story of Joy unfolds partly through them talking to a counsellor, with their accounts interspersed with Joy's own story. We find out what happened, what people think happened and the background leading up to and following on from that day.
The construction of the novel works very well and all the characters are realistic, if not particularly likeable. This is more character driven than plot driven, but there is enough pl ...more

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Aug 21, 2012 Nina Jon rated it liked it · review of another edition

A novel set in a law firm, where no one actually appears to do any work and where everyone is consumed by the past. From its first page we learn of Joy's discontentment. The reasons why this beautiful young woman is so unhappy and whether this is connected with her fall, form the backbone of this novel, told from the various viewpoints of its characters. The reason for Joy’s fall are answered, although not until the end of the novel. However, it's the last few pages of the novel which come as a ...more

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Jul 12, 2013 Stacie rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, 2013, netgalley-read

Usually I'm not terribly fond of books that change points of view multiple times but in this case, it worked really well. Joy tells the story of well, Joy Stephens and the events leading up to her fall from a higher floor after giving a big work speech. Told from the point of view of her co-workers, her husband, and herself, the author did a great job switching characters from chapter to chapter. It was almost as if you were watching each person on television retelling their version of the event ...more

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Jul 06, 2012 Karen Rye rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012

I settled down with this yesterday and then ended up needing to finish it before I could go to bed. The structure is quirky, but not clunky and the story is allowed to unfold beautifully through the course of the novel. It is well written and by turns comical, satirical, honest, heart rending and horrifying. Every reader will recognise parts of themselves and their work colleagues here. Admitting which one you might most closely resemble is a whole different ball game though. But trust me, never ...more

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Jul 16, 2012 Claire rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I read this book largely because it was written by a friend of a friend.

I loved it. The setting in a large City law firm intrigued me because that's been my life for a while. It was over-exaggerated but spot on and so humorous in so many ways.

The book is written from a number of different perspectives and the voices of each perspective were so well developed. I couldn't help but find the voice of Dennis annoying but suspect that you were meant to.

A clever book and a very engaging story, sometim ...more

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Jul 22, 2016 Gina rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: novels

Stunning. A wonderfully written, completely absorbing story of Joy, a high-flying young partner about to made a partner. Her near fatal accident at her promotion ceremony is the vehicle for bringing together the voices of the characters closest to her. The story is told through them and Joy’s own voice. A story of love and loss; interwoven with unexpected changes of perspective and meaning. Excellent.

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May 11, 2013 Steven Pilling rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Way too long.

The writing is good, he is a great stylist but the story just didnt engage me.

I feel this hangs on me as i reckon the book will be loved by many people. I will try him again as he can write just not this

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Jan 11, 2015 Bec Pearce rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Joy. that's what I felt after reading this book. Yes. the subject matter isn't exactly cheery but the way the author handles it is perfect.
I picked it up because of its blurb but love it because of its unusual and fantastic content.
Wonderful. ...more

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Jun 16, 2012 Rachel rated it liked it · review of another edition

Great story, excellent characterisation. Some slightly self-indulgent literary devices used, but no worse for it.

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Oct 13, 2013 Mila rated it really liked it · review of another edition

It's a beautifully written book. Loved the story. It's so believable, I think in the end I'd picked a bit of Joy's desperation. (For a short period of time, though) ...more

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Sep 17, 2013 Sue rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I do like different/original story-lines - very good book

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About Jonathan Lee

Jonathan Lee

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JONATHAN LEE is a British writer whose recent fiction has appeared in Tin House, Granta, and A Public Space, among other magazines. High Dive is his first novel to be published in the United States. He lives in Brooklyn, where he is a contributing editor for Guernica and a regular contributor to The Paris Review Daily.