This book itself is a small joy, a lovely and quiet love story. (So small though that it might be more like a 3.5 for me?) I enjoyed the tenderness of the story and the relationships at play, but it did seem to wander a bit and some of my big questions never got answered.

Muddy was another character I loved, the way he spoke about birds and his granddad (especially his dementia) really tugged at my heartstrings as my eighty-year-old mother loves watching the birds at her feeders in her yard. This is the type of book you think about long after you finish reading it. What a beautiful debut. Small Joys was a big joy to read. I adored Small Joys—a sweet, moving, funny, strikingly open story. 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,author of Ariadne I slept well into the evening. When I woke up, I heard loud voices outside. I didn’t want to get out of bed: the thought of doing so terrified me. At university, hearing other people’s voices in the communal area meant I wouldn’t leave my room at all, not even for the bathroom, until it was pin-­drop silent. But I couldn’t do that now since Chelsea had texted from the living room, asking me to come out. And not wanting to irritate her, I did.I loved it - Small Joys is a wonderful book full of music, life and a great deal of heart. An extremely BIG joy!' Matson Taylor, bestselling author of The Miseducation of Evie Epworth

It’s difficult to express just how much I loved this book but the one thing that I constantly tell people is that reading it felt like being enveloped in a hug.

Table of Contents

Small Joys explores the complexities of human relationships, portraying them with depth and nuance. The novel centers around the friendship between Harley and Muddy, two individuals who couldn’t be more different on the surface but develop a deep bond over time. Their relationship is a powerful reminder of the importance of chosen family, the people we surround ourselves with who offer us support, love, and acceptance when we need it most. Honestly, it is quite hard to describe Small Joys by our guy @elvinjamesmensah, though I suppose its title really is the perfect summary of feelings lingering here. An unexpected friendship saves a young man's life in this moving, utterly charming debut about chosen family, the winding road to happiness, and the grace of second chances.

We find Harley at a particularly low point, out in the woods, alone and about to do something drastic. This is when Muddy enters his life, introduces himself as Harley’s new flat mate and begins to change his life and outlook. NA: I think many people can relate to your experience, but how did you keep yourself focused on the vision when people around you expressed doubt?There was something really charming and uplifting about this gentle novel, despite the (at times) very heavy subject matter. I had never thought much about birds before I met Muddy. Any interest that I had in them, and the various species that inhabited Britain, was because of him. There were a lot of things I hadn’t considered before I met him. I guess I was willing to go along with this just being unlabeled except there is a very strange scene toward the end of the book with a totally out of character proposition to which we never got a response. That annoyed me. NA: I’ve never heard that approach before, I absolutely love it. And finally, if you could give one piece of advice to an aspiring author, what would it be?

How satisfying, I had thought, how reassuring, to know you could save your own life from loneliness. This heartwarming, witty, and moving debut is one of the most charming books you'll read this year. Exploring love, friendship, grief, and the bittersweet joy of being young, Small Joys is utterly beautiful.' Louise O'Neill, bestselling author of Idol So when that didn't work out, it kind of coincided with me then going through one of the darkest periods of my life. When the time came to work on a second book, I didn't really have anything to lose. Not to sound too cheesy, but the second time around I opted to just write something from the heart. And because the prominent emotion I was feeling was sadness and misery, the only story I seemed to be able to tell was of a very depressed, gay, Ghanaian man. Kind, careful, beautiful, and profound. . . Elvin James Mensah has an uncanny ability to give voice to the most delicate nuances of the human experience.His characters will stay in your heart forever.” —Allison Larkin,author of The People We Keep

Korey B’s Review:

Many issues are covered in this book, including race, sexuality, mental health and suicidal thoughts but all are dealt with delicately and with a tenderness that really sets it apart from other books. Elvin James Mensah is a name that we will be hearing a lot of in the future and I can't wait to hear him discuss his work and writing process at this year's festival. At some parts, I was concerned about how much Harley's friends were poking fun at being caregivers for him. But that was mentioned to be something empowering and not negative. When Harley realized he could be empowered by all these people caring for him, instead of seeing himself as a burden, I could feel the weight leave his shoulders (as well as my own, thinking about this way of relating to others). Impressive and perfect, Mensah’s debut is a novel that builds empathy for fellow humans. It reminds us that even though we may not see it, people are struggling, and one moment of kindness may be just what they need. I feel like Small Joys will stay with me a long time, and I hope this is a book that gets the attention it deserves. Really, the only issue I had with this one is that the ending felt quite abrupt. Or, not abrupt, so much as a little unfinished? Like there could have been more, but there wouldn’t be. Harley’s story had obviously come to a natural stopping point (although I would not call it a conclusion), but his friends’ hadn’t. They felt, in fact, more as though we were just beginning a plotline. That’s where the abruptness came from.