_What exactly is happiness?
How will you go about determining the factors of happiness?
Is it money? Is it the moment you fall in love for the first time? Perhaps it is the time you spend with your friends and family. All of it? Or maybe, none of it?_

Simple questions yet remains unanswered.

Whenever we fall into a bit of a pinch, or whenever we are ‘unhappy’ about how things played out, we make a fuss about how life is being really unfair to us. Many of us think, “I don’t want this crappy life. It doesn’t have any meaning. I wish I’d die.” But, is life really so cheap that you can throw it away just like that? We always tend to forget that no matter how much of a hard time we are having, there is always someone who is going through something even worse. Sure, life may have thrown a few rocks at some point but is it always going to be that way?

Kusunoki, our average delusional protagonist who, as a child, thought that he was going to be someone famous when he grows up. Relatable? I’m sure it is. But life isn't so eager to hand him the cake just yet. Talented kid going to a barely average college, part-time job that hardly makes any money to support himself, that’s how his life turned out at the age of 20. Relatable again? Yeah, for a lot of us. Then Kusunoki was given a chance to sell his lifespan for money, the amount which is determined by many different factors, the factors of happiness. Since he wasn’t happy in his life, he was given a bare minimum for selling his 30 years of lifespan, leaving only 3 months to live.
Then appears another main character, Miyagi, our observer. Observers are given the duty to observe anyone who sells their lifespan and has less than a year to live. Initially hostile and cold towards Kusunoki, she gradually warms up to him because of many different circumstances.

A lot of things change when your life is suddenly cut short. People start to understand their surroundings better. They begin to clear the mysteries that fog up around them. They start looking for happiness, true happiness. They change a lot over that short period of time.

Again, there are things people can achieve when they have someone important in their life. Having someone who you can relate with, who understands you can change you for the better. That’s what happened with Kusunoki. Kusunoki represents us. Deep down we all are Kusunoki in one way or another. He wasn’t able to find happiness at first. His delusions clouded his judgment. But having Miyagi by his side changed his views on life. He found happiness only he can find. He found enjoyment in the smallest of things which wasn't possible at first. Visiting his homeland he hated from the bottom of his heart, staring at the starry sky which he never thought of doing in a million years, even just talking with Miyagi out in public when no one other than himself can see her. In the end this encouraged him to do something out of the remaining time he had left. And guess what, he WAS able to do something. Kusunoki used to draw when he was young. But he stopped at one point because he couldn’t find the meaning behind it anymore. Having Miyagi broke the long slump he was in.

A simple enough plotline yet so much to think about. “Three Days of Happiness” is a novel that doesn’t answer the questions rather makes you think about those questions. Makes you think about life, raises the question ‘how much is life truly worth?’ Or ‘is it worth something at this point? How to make use of this precious thing I was given?’ The story was very beautifully crafted, keeping the emotions of the readers in mind. From the very start of the story there was a uniqueness to it that catches attention. The characters were accurately written. The pacing of the story was perfect. Gives you just the right amount of time you need to reflect upon everything that has happened. The words were very carefully chosen that directly hits, and puts an emotional impact on the readers. And there's a mind blowing plot twist to make even better sense of the situations and make you feel more for Kusunoki and Miyagi. So things won't get boring, trust me.

There is a manga adaptation of this novel. A great one in fact. Most of the readers read the manga adaptation. But I highly recommend you to read the original source. A very few people have read the novel. The novel has a different feel to it. It captures the audience, encapsulates them and makes them want to read further and further. So even if you have already read the manga, give the novel a go as well. You might be able to uncover some new themes you weren’t able to before.

Bittersweet. That’s the only word I can think of to describe this beautiful piece of work. The ending makes you feel empty at one side but also makes you emotionally stronger at the other, makes you smile. The author came up with something really sensitive and delivered it in the smoothest way possible. Exactly my type of thing. So in the end, an easy 10/10 for me. No questions asked.