Happy Land

Happy Land (2025) is a historical fiction novel by American author Dolen Perkins-Valdez. The story follows two timelines: Nikki Lovejoy-Berry, who visits her estranged grandmother in the hills of North Carolina in the present timeline, and Luella Bobo, whose people move into those same hills to create a community 150 years before. Through conversations with her grandmother, Mother Rita, Nikki learns of the Kingdom of the Happy Land, a settlement of formerly enslaved people who strike out to create a better world for themselves. As Nikki learns more about her ancestry and the land Mother Rita inhabits, she begins to value the importance of knowing her history and reconnecting to her past. The text explores themes of The Importance of Collective History to the Self, The Politics of Land Ownership, and The Battle Against Historical Erasure.

This guide uses the 2025 hardcover edition by Berkley.

Content Warning: The source material and this guide feature depictions of racism, racist violence, domestic violence, pregnancy loss, sexual content, cursing, illness, and death. Additionally, Perkins-Valdez depicts offensive racialized language and language for people with mental illness that was frequently used during the historical time period of the 1800s, which is only replicated when quoting the source text.

Plot Summary

Nikki Lovejoy-Berry is a 39-year-old real estate agent living in Washington, DC. She receives a call from her grandma, Mother Rita, who implores her to come to rural North Carolina to help her. She has not seen or spoken to Mother Rita in eight years, after she and Nikki’s mother had a fight, and has never visited her home. Lacking direction in her life, Nikki decides to figure out what happened between Mother Rita and Mama.

In a second timeline, Luella Bobo and her father gain their freedom at the end of the Civil War. In 1870, they live with several other families in a community in South Carolina. However, as the presence of the Ku Klux Klan increases over the next few years, they decide to move into the hills of North Carolina. One of their leaders, William Montgomery, and his brother, Robert, insist that they can find work and land for them.

In the present, Nikki tries to get information about Mother Rita and Mama’s feud. Mother Rita ignores her questions, insisting that Nikki needs to learn about her family’s history. She tells her about the Kingdom of the Happy Land, a community set up by recently freed Black people in the hills of North Carolina. She claims it was ruled by her great-great-grandmother, Luella. She then takes Nikki out into her land to show her the graveyard where their ancestors are buried.

In 1873, Luella, Papa, William, and the others travel 50 miles into North Carolina. They come to an inn run by a woman they call Widow Davis, whom William knows from his work during enslavement. Widow Davis allows the community to build homes on her land in exchange for their help at the inn. William then proposes that the community start a kingdom, run by a king and queen. After he is chosen to be its first king, he asks for Luella’s hand in marriage.

As Nikki tries to figure out what Mother Rita needs help with, she begins to learn about her family ancestry. Although Nikki is initially skeptical of there being a kingdom in North Carolina, she begins to find bits of information about it online and in the local library. She searches through old ledgers and finds information about Luella and the Montgomery brothers. Mother Rita falls sick and Nikki takes her to the emergency room. She learns that Mother Rita has cancer and was only given a few months to live.

At the same time, Nikki discovers that the nearby neighbors, the Thomas family, are trying to evict Mother Rita from her land. Due to the lack of wills in Mother Rita’s ancestry, there is no clear line of inheritance for the kingdom land. Although Mother Rita insists it is hers, there is no way to prove it. The Thomas brothers learned that their father had bought part of it, allowing them to fight in court for possession of the entire property.

Luella has a troubled relationship with William. Although they are both dedicated to the kingdom, he is verbally and physically abusive to her, striking her across the face when she asks about building a schoolhouse. When he goes away to work in the mines, he is severely injured and goes blind. Luella stays in the palace, saying she will give up her place to the next king and queen. When Robert is chosen as the new king, he begs Luella to be his queen. The two begin a romantic and sexual relationship, while never truly marrying.

In the present, Nikki returns home. She is committed to uncovering the truth about her ancestry, realizing how important her lineage is to her identity. She plans to return to North Carolina for a court date to discuss Mother Rita’s eviction. She tells her mother about what has been going on and is shocked when she is not angry at Nikki. Instead, she is concerned about Mother Rita’s health and the land.

When Nikki returns to Mother Rita’s home with her daughter, Shawnie, Mama is already there. Mother Rita and Mama start to fight about the land, but Nikki interrupts them, insisting that they spend time together now that they have the chance. When they go to court, they get 75 days to move Mother Rita out of the house. Their lawyer, R.J., is doubtful that they will keep the land.

In the past, Robert and Luella have two children together. They take control of the kingdom, building up its finances largely through Luella and the other women. They begin packaging a liniment, which becomes popular in town, as well as sewing for locals, drying and curing meat from hunting, and helping with farming. When the kingdom is at its peak, they begin to be harassed by local citizens who insist that they pay monthly for their land in the hills. In response, Robert and Luella go to see Widow Davis. They convince her to sell them 205 acres of land, part in North Carolina and part in South Carolina, finally giving the kingdom a permanent home.

After 10 years away, William returns home. Although he gave his blessing to Robert and Luella’s union, he had not visited since his injury. His appearance causes mixed feelings in Luella, as she realizes that she still cares for him and that he is much kinder than he was before. He apologizes for hitting her. Meanwhile, Robert grows angry at William’s presence, becoming convinced that there are still romantic feelings between him and Luella. Before Luella can force William to leave, Robert leaves instead, abandoning Luella and his two children.

Over a decade later, the kingdom has shrunk in size. Newer generations are leaving, while the remaining members struggle to find work. Luella is still queen, supported by William. When Luella’s daughter, Sunny, turns 17, a young boy proposes to her. To Luella’s surprise, Robert returns for the wedding along with his sister, Ursula. When he left, he managed to find 10 of his siblings who were sold to different plantations during enslavement. He apologizes to Luella, insistent that he still wants to be with her. When she realizes that she still loves him, they go to William, who willingly steps aside for them to be together.

Two weeks later, two sheriffs arrive. They tell Luella that they believe her son, Wade, was responsible for letting bulls out of a pen that led to the death of a farmer. Luella and Robert go to the lawyer, Weaver, who helped them buy the land from Widow Davis. He agrees to help them if they sign over the deed to the kingdom for two years. He promises them that they can buy it back if they raise the money before the two years are up. Despite Weaver’s help, Wade is convicted and sentenced to two years in prison.

Just as Nikki and Mother Rita begin to pack up her home, they receive a call from R.J. She discovered a law in North Carolina that, if someone lives on land for long enough, they can make a claim to ownership. In court, she and Nikki present their case, insisting that Mother Rita has cared for the land and has an ancestral right to it. The judge agrees, awarding Mother Rita the acres that contain her home, her garden, and the graveyard.

After Wade is let out of prison, Luella and Robert return to Weaver with the money for their land. However, he has raised the price, making them unable to purchase all of it. They decide to buy the 50 acres that they can afford, enough land in North Carolina for their families to live. William and Robert reconcile, Sunny moves onto the land with her new husband, and Luella lives the rest of her life contentedly in the kingdom.

In the present, Mother Rita stays in her home, dying the following December. Nikki inherits the land, using it to tell the story of the kingdom and show people the importance of understanding Black lineage. As she and Mama look out over the valley, Mama tells her that Nikki’s full name, “Veronica,” came from a breed of lavender that was Mother Rita’s favorite flower. Nikki vows to learn more about her heritage, wanting to become someone that Luella would be proud of.