Lego, hygge and happiness: Book Club reviews "The Year of Living Danishly"

Eight of us met at Hanami on 10th June and discussed The Year of Living Danishly by Helen Russell.

Lorna, who chose the book, explained that she has long had an affection for Denmark. She first visited more than 45 years ago and immediately felt not only at home, but also as though she had somehow been there before. As a Scot, she is also interested in Denmark because it is often cited by supporters of Scottish independence as an example of a country with a similar-sized population, a strong sense of social justice, a centre-left political tradition and excellent public services.

Helen Russell, a former magazine features editor, moved from London to rural Jutland when her husband accepted a job with Lego. The book follows her first year in Denmark as she explores what lies behind the country's reputation as one of the happiest in the world. Written in an engaging, journalistic style, it combines interviews with experts and observations about Danish politics, economics and society with plenty of humour, making it an accessible introduction to Danish life. Lorna also reminded us that the book was written before Brexit, although Russell's 2020 addendum reflects on some of the issues that have since come into sharper focus, particularly around immigration and national identity.

We learned that Denmark does many things admirably, but some perhaps less so. Very briefly, they are high on trust, social support, hygge and Lego, but they seem to have a very high opinion of Danish beliefs and customs which might exceed some of the realities.

We had mixed opinions on the book. All of us were interested to learn more about Danish life and customs, and most found it likeable and often funny. The author is a features writer for magazines, and some of us felt that this showed in her journalistic style and her focus on sometimes lightweight lifestyles rather than on downsides or painful issues. We became annoyed by the number of numerical surveys she refers to, apparently almost automatically, with no evidence of questioning their validity. The main text has no mention of issues such as engrained habits of sexism or, perhaps more of a problem, racism. This is partially remedied by her additional post-Brexit chapter which does include some discussion of racism, but even then we know the Danish government has serious ongoing issues with immigrants and with Greenlanders. There are a number of unaddressed anomalies, such as the often-repeated allegation that Denmark is one of the happiest countries (with repeated interviewees declaring themselves to be "a 9 or a 10" on a happiness scale) but it also has among the highest antidepressant use in the world. I'm sure we all learned a lot we hadn't known.