Small Joys

The sensational debut novel about love, friendship and finding happiness in the most unexpected places. ‘Could I one day inspire happiness in others, the same way he seemed to do in me?’ Harley is struggling. Returning home to Kent after dropping out of university, he feels like a failure. He finds it impossible to imagine that life could hold anything close to happiness for him. Standing in the local woods one day, on the verge of doing something drastic and irreversible, his hand is stayed by a stranger: a tall, husky guy who emerges from the bushes holding a pair of binoculars. Muddy is an ebullient Mancunian with irresistible dimples. A lover of birdwatching, rugby and Oasis, Muddy’s energy makes others feel better by association and before long he and Harley become inseparable. Harley and Muddy’s relationship soon forms the heart of a group of friends who bring into each other’s lives the sort of happiness that Harley has lacked for so long. But when figures from the past threaten to plunge him back into the depths of depression, his only hope is Muddy and the small joys they create together. Moving, funny and tender, Small Joys is an epic novel about ordinary lives that introduces the world to an unforgettable cast of characters and a major new literary talent. Includes exclusive bonus chapter, 'MUDDY DOES THE FULL MONTY'. [20 pages - unpaginated]