The Promise of Happiness (2004) (edit title/settings)

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• Charles Judd: The patriarch of the Judd family, he is depicted as increasingly isolated, stubborn and mentally unhinged. An accountant in London for much of his life, he was forced out of his firm in complex (possibly treacherous) circumstances which compelled him to retire to Cornwall. His behavior becomes increasingly eccentric and spiteful over the course of the book. He is a man with numerous regrets and grudges - he resents his dismissal, the blandness of life in Cornwall, and his wife Daphne in many ways. He is particularly heartbroken by Juliet's arrest, and their estrangement during her sentence forms a key tension in the book, the overcoming of which is resolved in the final chapter.
• Daphne Judd: The matriarch of the family, it's Daphne's desire to have a family wedding and reunion in Cornwall that drives the plot of the book. Daphne is pitched as well meaning, earnest and exuberant - a woman of modest talent but great ambition. She tries hard with husband Charles but at several points reveals a deep resentment of him and his increasingly anti-social traits. Although somewhat ham-fisted in her numerous domestic endeavors, she eventually triumphs in the book by organizing Charlie and Ana's wedding and does the floral arrangements herself, in the meantime reconnecting with her daughter Sophie and fulfilling (in her mind at least) a grand reintroduction of the Judd's into decent society.
• Juliet Judd: An artist with expertise in stained glass, it is her fencing of a supposedly stolen window before the action of the book that leads to her much vaunted and publicized trial and sentencing to two years in federal prison. Scarred by the horrors of a women's prison in which she did not belong and struggled to survive, she emerges a changed and humbled woman. She attempts to search for some way to understand and find closure for her crime and trial in New York, but despite many attempts it does not seem forthcoming. And just when she seems to be coming to terms and unwinding from the ordeal, she finds out that her imprisonment may have been based on false witness and a dishonest prosecution, once again throwing her world into chaos. Her slow return to Cornwall for her brother's wedding causes all of the other characters of the book to reassess themselves and drives the main action of their own story lines, however she herself interacts only briefly with the characters, except Charlie, with whom she spends some time traveling with.
• Sophie Judd: The youngest of the Judd's, Sophie begins the book as the rebellious sister, working in London for Dan, a high-end photographer in the advertising industry. Dan is much older and married, but Sophie is his mistress, a fact much of her family is displeased with. Sophie's lifestyle includes hard drugs, long hours and anonymous sex; however the return of her sister from the US causes her to rethink much of her life. Breaking up with Dan, she then reconnects with Daphne in London as well in preparation for Juliet's return. In doing so, for the good of the family and herself, she reassesses her choices and decides to try toning down her life by taking up a summer job in Cornwall near her parents and leaving behind her London experiment.
• Charlie Judd: The stronger elder brother, Charlie is the one who goes to upstate New York to take Juliet from prison back to the family. He is depicted as resourceful, manly and together. He started a business selling socks to executives over the internet, which by the end of the book is sold for a large sum and making him a millionaire, although he seems ambivalent, even dissatisfied, with his apparent success. He is further dissatisfied with his wedding to Ana, which is driving his mother's concocted reunion of the family but feels forced and wrong to him. Of all the characters, it seems Charlie's outward togetherness is the least indicative of his inner state, and much of the happiness of other characters in the book has come at his expense.
• Clem Thomas: A neighbor and friend of Charles and Daphne, whom Charles plays golf with. He is a confident and outgoing man who causes Charles to question his life somewhat after he reveals he's sleeping with a Vietnamese prostitute, though in other scenes he provides reassurance and comfort to Charles where Daphne cannot. There is also innuendo that Clem and Daphne might be just a bit too close as friends.
• Davis Lyendecker: A struggling author with whom Juliet had relations whilst seeing Richie. An intellectual and stimulating alternative, Davis leaves when Juliet is arrested and is absent during the trial. He reappears after Juliet is released, though Juliet is bitterly angry with him for abandoning her. Davis has become a wreck in her absence, ashamed by his emotional inability to deal with his frustrated love for her and the circumstances surrounding their affair and her arrest. His life has fallen apart, however after some terse confrontations with Juliet he manages to reconcile somewhat with her after he writes a expose of himself during their affair, and at the book's end there is some indication of a return to friendship.
• Frances: Daphne's friend and colleague at the church who helps her arrange flowers there and maintain the building. She looks after Charles whilst Daphne is in London with Sophie, and there is an inappropriate intimacy hinted at between the two.
• John Betjeman: A founding member of the Victorian Society. Starting his career as a journalist, he ended it as one of the most popular British Poets Laureate to date and a much-loved figure on British television. His grave is in Cornwall and although not personified in the book, his existence as something notable in the town is used frequently throughout the book - either as a subject of derision by Charles or as a subject of great praise and reverence by Daphne.
• Richie Lillie: Juliet's slick, wheeling and dealing ex-partner. A fellow Englishman who runs a failing art dealership, it is revealed that his increasing financial difficulties are what drove Juliet to commit the back room deal with Agnello and secure further income. Classically suave, he is depicted at sophisticated and comfortable which draws Juliet to him in the first place, although he is quick to let Juliet go to jail for his crimes. Charlie's bitterness at this miscarriage of justice leads him to track Richie down after Juliet's release. He finds him in a meagre and tacky outfit in San Diego, where he reveals that Juliet refused to let him take the stand and maintains that he did his best to get her off the hook, though she in the end chose to take the blame herself.
• Anthony Agnello: The middleman who provided the Tiffany window to Juliet for her to fence, in exchange for $50,000. At the trial he makes a plea bargain to reduce his own punishment for various crimes in exchange for testimony against Juliet as a fence in stolen art. His testimony against her is later revealed to be a set up by an ambitious FBI agent and untruthful in most respects.
• Ana: Charlie's fiance. Latin-American, Ana's character is only briefly introduced to the other characters. She is depicted as being upbeat and urbane, but also conceited and with a strong sense of entitlement. Her pregnancy spurs her marriage to Charlie, and she seems extremely pleased to be settling down and starting a family. Charlie is less convinced, and as the story rolls on we find out he seriously doubts his love for her, feeling more trapped by her pregnancy and filial expectations.

Setting & Locations edit see section history

• Trebetherick: A town in Cornwall where Charles and Daphne Judd have retired to. The town serves as the anchor to the book, with much of the action revolving around the town or the other characters' pilgrimage to it. It is the scene of the eventual wedding of Charlie, return of Juliet, and redemption of Sophie, as well as the triumphant family reunion hoped for by Daphne.
• New York: Juliet is a New Yorker, and her shattered remains of a life are rediscovered there after returning from prison. The city seems to hold too many bad memories for her, and she makes efforts in the end to break her ties with it.
• London: Sophie lives and works here for most of the novel, and it is the setting for Daphne and Sophie's reconnection, although this merely shows Sophie that she has tired of the London high-life and that she desires a return to Cornwall for a while.

First Sentence edit see section history

Series & Lists edit see section history

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

1. Justin Cartwright (Author)

First Edition edit see section history

Awards edit see section history

• Hawthornden Prize (2005)
• The Sunday Times Fiction Prize (2005)

Classification edit see section history

• Library of Congress: Add the Library of Congress Classification.
• Dewey: 823.914

Subjects edit see section history

• Books › Literature & Fiction › Contemporary