Paperback: As an editor on a glossy magazine in London, Helen Russell appears to be living the dream. Yet between the long hours, the endless commutes and the stresses of trying for a baby, life is gradually wearing her down.
Then her husband is offered a job in Denmark's rural Jutland and she discovers a startling statistic: the land of long dark winters, pickled herring and pastries is officially the happiest place on earth.
So what do they know that we don't?
Are happy Danes just born that way?
Or can the rest of us get in on the act?
Helen decides there is only one way to find out: she will give herself a year there, trying to uncover the formula for Danish happiness. The things she has learned in Denmark are
1) Being well-lit is akin to a basic human right in Denmark
2) Danish toddlers are the luckiest creatures in the world
3) A snake autopsy passes for a fun day out in rural Jutland (ditto crab racing)
4) Paying an extraordinary amount of tax isn't necessarily a bad thing
5) Pastry and potatoes might just be the secret formula for happiness
From education, food and interior design to society anxiety disorder (SAD), childcare and an unfortunate predilection for burning witches, The Year of Living Danishly (2015) is a funny, poignant record of a journey that shows us where the Danes get it right, where they get it wrong - and how we might all benefit from living a little more Danishly ourselves.
About the author: Helen Russell is a journalist and former editor of MarieClaire.co.uk. She now lives in rural Jutland and works as a Scandinavian correspondent for the Guardian as well as writing a column on Denmark for the Telegraph. She can be found on Twitter @MsHelenRussell.
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