The Capacity for Infinite Happiness - Softcover

"Alexis von Konigslow" has written a linguistic calculus for human connectivity with this sweet, stunning, ingenious novel. "Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer, " author, "All the Broken Things""

Better than clever, charming and elusive, "The Capacity for Infinite Happiness"is an utter delight unlike anything written before. Here is a story rich and complex told so simply that every page turns itself. The Marx brothers roam our Canadian wood. A beautiful mother prevaricates. Mysteries are hidden like heirlooms and two points of history meet. I couldn't stop reading. The pleasure was effortless and intense. " Linda Spalding, "author, "The Purchase""

"Alexis von Konigslow has written a linguistic calculus for human connectivity with this sweet, stunning, ingenious novel." --Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer, author, All the Broken Things

"Better than clever, charming and elusive, The Capacity for Infinite Happiness is an utter delight unlike anything written before. Here is a story rich and complex told so simply that every page turns itself. The Marx brothers roam our Canadian wood. A beautiful mother prevaricates. Mysteries are hidden like heirlooms and two points of history meet. I couldn't stop reading. The pleasure was effortless and intense." --Linda Spalding, author, The Purchase

"At this novel's heart is a mystery, one that can sustain propelling the story forward and back. It's Arcadia for the connected age." - The Globe and Mail

"Konigslow is a gifted writer who has assembled a cast of complex, sharply observed characters. Her soulful, introspective Harpo is a refreshing contrast to the manic clown with his bicycle horn he played on-screen, and his scenes with his brothers Groucho and Chico, who are also vacationing at the resort, crackle with Borscht Belt charm." - Events: Poetry and Prose

"While the reader may not initially feel a fascination or link with Harpo Marx [...] the dexterity of Von Konigslow's storytelling produces a narrative that will not easily be forgotten." - Canadian Literature: A Journal of Criticism and Review

Mathematician Emily Kogan needs to finish her thesis, and her secretive family may be just the inspiration she’s looking for. She decides to conduct research into the influence of personal relationships, using her family tree as an original social network. Tracing the spiderwebs of these connections, she learns far more than she bargained for. In the 1930s, Harpo Marx joins his brothers at the Kogan’s Jewish-friendly resort in Canada. Unhappy after the death of his parents and uncertain in life after the latest Marx Brothers’ movie flops at the cinemas, Harpo is looking for something or someone to save. Captivated by the mysterious Ayala Kogan and her two daughters, he is drawn deeply into the lives of the Kogan family and their tragic past. Effortlessly weaving together these two storylines, Alexis von Konigslow draws the reader into an astonishing tale of ill-fated love, extraordinary courage, and a daring transatlantic escape.