Tell the Machine Goodnight

Pearl works as a technician for the Apricity Corporation, whose patented happiness machine produces personalized recommendations for greater contentment. Her customers follow the advice and report back. Her office manager calls her successful, though no one at the company can say how an emotion gets measured.

At home, Pearl has a teenage son, Rhett. He is sensitive and has taken an unconventional path through adolescence, and he seems more satisfied when he is unhappy. Turning away from joy is his own way of pursuing happiness.

Pearl wants to help him, and she cannot tell whether she is acting for his sake or for her own, since a happier Rhett would make her happier too. Rhett is the one person outside her work's reach, both as technician and as mother.

The chapters pass among an alternating cast of characters drawn from Pearl and Rhett's world. The tone is warm, humorous and smart, with a light satirical streak aimed at positive psychology and the appetite for quick fixes. The question underneath is what happens when a company's product and a family's private sadness meet.