Thank you to Faber and Faber and NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

The Ha-Ha follows Josephine, a 23 year old woman in the early 1960s, who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia and institutionalised. Very character-driven and hard to follow at times, as to be expected from the nature of the narrator.

An interesting modern classic being republished by Faber and Faber (available from 31st July 2025). For fans of ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’, ‘The Bell Jar’, and ‘Girl, Interrupted’.

I think The Ha-Ha by Jennifer Dawson is a novel that fans of Janet Frame and Sylvia Plath will enjoy being able to have the experience of discovering.

Oh no, it's one of those books. The ones you enjoy, but can't for the life of you form a decent sentence to explain why.
Maybe it's the unusual voice of our main character.
Or the setting?
Or a look at mental health back in the day?
Whatever it was, I did enjoy it.