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Could I one day inspire happiness in others, the same way he seemed to do in me?
Harley is a young queer black man struggling to find his way in nineties Britain. Returning home, having just dropped out of college, he is racked by feelings of failure and inadequacy. Standing in the woods one day, on the verge of doing something drastic and irreversible, Harley is held back by a stranger: a tall, husky guy who emerges from the bushes holding a pair of binoculars.
Muddy is an ebullient bird-watcher whose lust for his own life makes others feel better by association. A rugby fanatic and Oasis obsessive, he quickly becomes a devoted and loyal friend to Harley, who finds his enthusiasm infectious and his dimples irresistible. In no time, they become inseparable. Harley starts to think that life may be worth living after all, while Muddy discovers things about himself that the lads down at the rugby club would struggle to understand.
But when figures from the past threaten to plunge Harley back into the depths of depression, his only hope of survival is through Muddy and the small joys that 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.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
April 11, 2023 -
Formats
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Kindle Book
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OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9780593499979
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EPUB ebook
- ISBN: 9780593499979
- File size: 2709 KB
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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February 6, 2023
Mensah debuts with a poignant chronicle of the intense friendship between two men in Kent, England. Harley, a gay Ghanaian man who struggles with anxiety and depression, finds relief in his flatmate Muddy’s “enthusiasm for life.” The men met after Muddy saved Harley from a suicide attempt. Following through on a promise to take care of Harley, Muddy supports Harley during Harley’s visit with his homophobic father and gives Harley a shoulder to cry on after he submits to an exploitative relationship with a racist man. After Harley attempts suicide a second time, Muddy calls in reinforcements from their friends to help care for him. The friendship is empowering for Harley, but there’s also some sexual tension: Harley fancies Muddy, and Muddy’s gender play—he paints his nails—prompts friends and family members to question if he is gay. Mensah’s characters are engaging, and he articulates Harley’s conflicted emotions well, especially when he sees a counselor for his mental health issues. The more readers see Harley go through, the more affecting Mensah makes his self-acceptance—especially after he tells his father about the friends “who loved me for who I was.” This author is off to an auspicious start. Agent: Jenny Bent, Bent Agency. -
April 1, 2023
We meet Harley in the woods, knife in hand, when a stranger appears and interrupts his suicidal contemplation. Muddy turns out to be Harley's new flatmate, an avid birdwatcher whose approach to life is devoted to curiosity and pure, unapologetic joy. Harley--chronically depressed, awkward, and habitually degraded by others--is wary of any man who does not abuse him. Disowned by his religious Ghanaian father for being gay and knowing only transactional partnerships, Harley is left with a deeply rooted self-hatred. Muddy has a very different reaction to his own familial rejection, instead finding mutual support with his friends, his chosen family. From the start, the two men embark on a singular romance: one that transcends the physical and defies categorization. Mensah relies on recurring avian metaphors to depict Harley and Muddy's unique relationship as reliant on trust, fortified by steady patience and tenderness. Small Joys is a moving tribute to unconditional love and its ability to heal the deepest of wounds for those who offer it as well as those fortunate enough to receive it.COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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