"Happy are the loved and the lovers and those who can do without love. Happy are the happy" – Jorge Luis Borges's words form the epigraph to playwright Yasmina Reza's wonderfully witty novel, translated from the French by Sarah Ardizzone, which most excels when it explores the roots of unhappiness.

Each chapter is told from a different character's point of view. "Listen to how you're talking to me! Do you have any idea of how you're talking to me?" protests Robert Toscano to his partner Odile as they begin quarrelling in the supermarket over what type of cheese to buy. From such moments unfolds a lifetime of frustration.

Reza, as you'd expect, creates moments of intense drama, exhibiting the tensions and conflicts crackling through lives. The Toscanos compare themselves to their friends the Hutners, who seemingly have the perfect life. And yet the Hutners are pretending that their son is on an international internship when in fact he's in a mental institution, believing himself to be Céline Dion. The author skilfully peels away the veneer of life to reveal the secrets seething within.

Happy Are the Happy is published by Harvill Secker (£14.99). Click here to buy it for £11.99 with free UK p&p