Several people are followed on their journeys of withdrawal and commitment. Gail’s agoraphobia keeps her inside the house with her Nan, but gradually both try to break their isolation. Then there is Rob, struggling with his addiction. Meanwhile, Mr and Mrs Gladwin’s 60-year relationship is shifting.

A new classic of British social realism, Duane Hopkins’s multi-narrative debut evokes life in a rural West Midlands town with astonishing empathy. From youth issues like addiction to the intangible loneliness of old age, Better Things searches for a hopeful future amid the darkness of the present.