Joy Contagion

Dr. Kemi Adebayo has built her career proving that emotions obey epidemiological laws. Models and containment keep failed systems from costing lives. Then a girl in Makoko finds a perfect mango and laughs.

Three hours later, the waterfront is laughing. By rush hour, joy has crossed Third Mainland Bridge through breath, touch, laughter, and eye contact. By dawn, bankers forgive debts, market vendors feed strangers, and stopped traffic becomes a rain-soaked dance floor.

The government declares an emergency. Kemi has Protocol 7 and an aerosol suppressant. But sealed zones twist joy into reckless confession, frantic spending, and generosity sharpened into harm. The infected refuse a cure.

With drones loaded and forty-eight hours left, Kemi must choose between order and letting an uncontrollable emotion remake the city that grief built.

An ecstatic, razor-edged novel about public health, private sorrow, and the terrifying possibility that happiness might belong to everyone.