Something Like Happiness

FROM THE MULTI-AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR OF ONLY HERE, ONLY NOW
WATERSTONES SCOTTISH BOOK OF THE YEAR 2025

'A beautifully observed story of love and its endless obstacles'
Irish Times

'A major new talent in Scottish literature'
Vogue France

'So compelling and tender. Tom Newlands has a unique and truthful voice'
Kathy Burke

Frazer and Caitlin have come a long way without ever leaving their dead-end town. They were teenage sweethearts but years later, life's got serious: the flat they share is barely habitable, money is tight, and their autistic son is struggling at school.

Caitlin dreams of fresh carpets and clean walls, but for Frazer Apex Court is the only home he has known. It's where his parents lived and died and where the memory of them remains.

He's asked Caitlin to marry him twice. She tries to leave most weeks. They still love each other - but is it enough?

Startlingly original, this blistering and timely new novel confirms Tom Newlands as one of the brightest talents of his generation.

'Newlands is always alive to the everyday, offhand beauty of the world. Remarkable'
Herald

'A beautiful novel, written with grace, clarity and tenderness'
Scotsman

'Newlands writes beautifully about the small, easily missed moments through which life and love are revealed'
Nathan Filer