In no time at all, they become inseparable. A keen birdwatcher, rugby fanatic and Oasis obsessive, he quickly becomes a devoted and loyal friend to Harley who finds his enthusiasm infectious and his dimples irresistible. Muddy is an ebullient Mancunian whose lust for his own life makes others feel better by association. 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. Returning home to Dartford, having just dropped out of an undergraduate course in music journalism, he is wracked by feelings of failure and inadequacy. Harley is a young queer Black man struggling to find his way in mid-noughties Britain. 'Could I one day inspire happiness in others, the same way he seemed to do in me?' it's beautiful.' Natasha Onwuemezi, The Bookseller An extremely BIG joy!' Matson Taylor, bestselling author of The Miseducation of Evie Epworth 'I loved it - Small Joys is a wonderful book full of music, life and a great deal of heart. Exploring love, friendship, grief, and the bittersweet joy of being young, Small Joys is utterly beautiful.' Louise O'Neill, bestselling author of Idol 'This heartwarming, witty, and moving debut is one of the most charming books you'll read this year. I don't know if I've ever rooted so much for a protagonist as I did for Harley - what a gorgeous novel.' Jennifer Saint, No. 'I adored Small Joys - a sweet, moving, funny, strikingly open story. Tender, thrilling, and honest Small Joys is a beam of light.' Bryan Washington, author of Memorial Mensah's prose makes the intangible deft and tremendous - from the balm of friendship, to the beauty of queerness, and the all-encompassing elixir of community. 'Elvin James Mensah's Small Joys is breathtaking and heartrending, by turns hilarious and devastating and surprising and wild. The sensational debut novel about love, friendship and finding happiness in the most unexpected places.

Small joys elvin james mensah