Literary Fiction 23,000-word Novella Ever since her hoarder mother died when she was ten, Haley has carried around the tattered handbag she left behind. A decade-and-a-half later, this handbag contains Haley’s entire life – following her move from Canada to the UK and being adopted by her narcissistic Aunt, to settling into a dingy one-bedroom flat with her boyfriend Tom in the middle of Cardiff. The handbag becomes an integral piece of Haley’s life, and soon, inexorably tied to her trauma. In recent years, Haley has been retreating into social isolation, fearing she’ll become like her Mother and Aunt. But with her outgoing boyfriend’s encouragement and a determination to shake off her past, Haley agrees to join Tom and his friends at the pub down the street. On her short walk there, Haley is attacked, and her life is forever changed. Hours later, Haley awakes in the hospital and endures the humiliating and numbing aftermath of sexual assault, including the unending personal questions, the painful examinations, the all-too-gentle voices, the brochures – and Tom’s reaction when he finds out what has happened. In the following weeks and months, Haley suffers through the various stages of reconciling with her trauma, from anger and suicidal thoughts to feeling nothing at all. Tom urges Haley to seek help and she agrees to meet with a therapist. Through her interactions with people in her life, including her hated Aunt, and her therapy sessions, Haley learns about how she links her Mother’s handbag with her past, how it’s tied to her trauma, and that leaving it behind may bring some peace.