The narrator of this story suffers from depression and can’t seem to get off the couch for any length of time. Barker writes her protagonist with such charisma, despite her distressing, spiralling behaviour.

Seth isn’t aware of my couch consumption. I only couch while he’s at work, and again when we couch together after Layla’s in bed. When I’m couching alone, I choose shows he won’t watch—basically a bunch of reality TV mixed with intermittent episodes of Gilmore Girls.