I’m willing to overlook the author’s refusal to name his two male protagonists, who end up in an sexual relationship neither anticipated
Anthony Shapland's debut novella, *A Room Above the Shop*, is a short, potent work about an unexpected sexual relationship between two men, B and M, who work and live together in M's hardware store. Written in a controlled, poetic style, reminiscent of Max Porter, the novel explores themes of concealed romance, drawing parallels to works like *God's Own Country* and George Michael's *My Mother Had a Brother*. Despite the unnamed characters, the novel is memorable for its exploration of a sad, hidden love.
