FAQs
5
What is The Happiness Engine about?
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The Happiness Engine is a literary speculative novel set in near-future Berlin. It follows Zoe Malkovich, an ambitious immigrant working at a technology company that develops an AI-driven system capable of engineering continuous happiness. As the technology approaches global launch, Zoe begins questioning the boundaries between wellbeing, freedom, intimacy, and emotional control.
The novel explores themes of technology, identity, emotional autonomy, feminism, belonging, spirituality, and the growing commodification of human experience.
What genre is The Happiness Engine?
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The Happiness Engine is literary speculative fiction. It combines contemporary literary fiction with philosophical, psychological, and near-future speculative elements.
Readers interested in thought-provoking novels exploring technology, culture, relationships, and the future of humanity may find it particularly appealing.
Why is the novel set in Berlin?
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Berlin serves as more than a backdrop. The city’s startup ecosystem, cultural diversity, intellectual traditions, and evolving conversations around identity, freedom, technology, and community are deeply woven into the narrative.
The novel reflects both the opportunities and contradictions of contemporary urban life through a distinctly Berlin lens.
Who is the author?
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Anastasia Shevchenko is a Ukrainian-Canadian-German writer based in Berlin. Drawing on experiences across Eastern Europe, North America, and Germany, her work explores belonging, emotional life, technology, freedom, and the search for meaning in a rapidly changing world.
Is The Happiness Engine currently available?
The Happiness Engine is currently seeking literary representation and publishing opportunities.
For rights inquiries, publishing interest, media requests, or other professional enquiries, please use the contact form or email provided on this website.