My Piece of Happiness

Quietly examining questions of belonging and of normality, this novel tells the story of Andy, Sarah, and Sean, three disabled young adults dependent on the support that parents and the healthcare system struggle to provide. All three owe much to former boxer George Rees, now a dedicated social worker. George brings wheelchair-bound Andy to the hymn-singing on Sundays and arranges for Sean to participate in a paper-delivery route. Venturing beyond the call of duty, he volunteers to accompany Sean and Sarah on Saturday outings that begin innocently but soon lead to the question of sexuality among members of the disabled community. George's involvement first conceals and then betrays a lack of direction in his own life. A certain irony develops as the books progresses: George inhabits the margins of society never to find a way back in, while Andy, Sarah, and Sen, through George's efforts, can all hope to achieve integration. Realizing this, and seeing no light, George becomes prey to the fatalism he has long been motivated to overcome.