Every Brilliant Thing

You are seven years old, and your mum is in hospital. Dad says she’s “done something stupid”. Apparently, she doesn’t consider life to be worth living. So you start making a list of every brilliant thing. You make sure Mum sees it. You hope it helps.

Over the years, the list’s role in your life fluctuates. It will be instrumental in finding and losing love. It will be something you forget about and rediscover over and over again. It will be yours, and then it will be everyone’s.