Small Joys

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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. Well, anyway, a beautiful book. I laughed, I cried, I grew with the characters. Awesome first novel, and I look forward to more from Elvin James Mensah. Small Joys is one of three books featured at our New Voices 2023 event at 12pm on Sat 29 April, Methodist Church. Elvin will be joined by Monica Heisey ( really good, actually) and Georgina Moore ( The Garnett Girls) and the event will be hosted by Joe Haddow. Filled with excellent pop culture and music references of the time, brilliantly memorable characters, lots of laughs and a few tears, it really did give me everything that I wanted. I feel that Finlay deserves a special mention, initially a bit of an eye roll character but he really grew on me and he was just completely believable, I feel like I’ve met Finlay a few times in my life. 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.

A largehearted look at the importance of found family, Mensah’s first novel focuses on the lifesaving friendship between a cast-off son . . . and the easygoing new roommate whose affection becomes a balm. Small Joys dwells in the sometimes-fleeting moments of pleasure and happiness that stave off the iniquities of the world.” — Electric Literature Friendship didn’t insulate you from affliction, but it did make the path to some sort of recovery feel worthwhile and almost pleasant, it allowed you to experience the most wonderful things, even in the dark. I think that, in part, is also what makes the darker sections of the book feel less so. It’s a book that covers some heavy topics — religious homophobia (complete with attempted exorcism), attempted suicide and depression, dementia — but because Harley is so loved by all of his friends, because they all of them so love each other too, it’s like there’s a clear safety net for each and every discussion. Parts of the book were heavy, but they always still felt wrapped in love and care.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? Muddy is my favorite of all the characters. Because this individual is both kind and charming, I believe that a lot of readers will find themselves falling in love with him. He injects an incredible amount of vibrancy and coziness into the narrative. In addition to this, he ends up becoming the main character's pillar of support for all the right reasons. If you take pleasure in reading books that center on relationships and friendships that are characterized by positivity and support for one another, then you are going to take a lot of pleasure out of this one, just like I did.

I also struggled with the mental health stuff, mostly because it continually leads Harley to make poor decisions and, as a reader, that's frustrating to repeatedly read. I too have depression and anxiety, and thought his bottoming out and slow road to recovery was handled well, I just had a hard time toward the end of the book when Harley was still keeping secrets and sabotaging relationships. This week we spoke to Elvin James Mensah about the experiences that led to his joyful debut novel .This funny and bighearted debut is an ode to queer friendship and chosen family. . . . A tender and generous novel about finding your people, getting vulnerable, and celebrating every joy—big or small.”— BuzzFeed

NA: A lot of British-Ghanaian writers are killing it at the moment. We've got Derek Owusu, Krystle Zara Appiah, Jessica George, Caleb Azumah Nelson – what's in the waayke you guys are eating? Tell us the secret. 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. Thisheartwarming, witty, and movingdebut isone 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,author of Idol there are those rare bird moments (😉) where a book reveals a world you weren’t looking for, but now it’s where you crave to be.EJM: When I was 20/21 I knew that this was exactly what I want to do. Writing was the only thing I was good at, and the only thing I saw myself excelling in, so I had no doubt in my mind that I was going to do everything I possibly could to try and make this work. I was ignoring friends for weeks at a time, and even as I was going to my cinema job, the only thing that kept me going was the thought that I’d be able to go home and write another 5000 words. I’d come home, write, eat, sleep and then start the day again. I knew exactly where I wanted to be and I was just determined to get there. The sensational debut novel about love, friendship and finding happiness in the most unexpected places. There’s really nothing about this book I didn’t love. The characters felt like multidimensional beings, with their own individual flaws and issues at stake, and all of them had such natural chemistry that nothing felt too forced for the sake of the plot. The friendship between Muddy and Harley felt real, despite the idea of a straight man being so unabashedly comfortable with masculinity and homosexuality could’ve came across as pure wish fulfillment.