Something Like Happiness
by Tom Newlands· 2026
A pair of childhood sweethearts reckon with poverty and parental responsibilities in their small hometown.
Frazer and Caitlin have come a long way without ever leaving their small grey town. They were once teenage sweethearts, but life has now got serious: the flat they share is barely habitable, money is tight, and their autistic son is already 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?
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A pair of childhood sweethearts reckon with poverty and parental responsibilities in their small hometown. Frazer and Caitlin have come a long way without ever leaving their small grey town. They were once teenage sweethearts, but life has now got serious: the flat they share is barely habitable, money is tight, and their autistic son is already 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?