In this intimate and modern poetry collection, Zubayr Charles seeks healing amidst the shocks of personal and social rejection, navigating the paradoxes of identity and love. Vivid, brave and witty, the sad boy’s starter pack is a reclamation of the self and a homecoming for the lonely and estranged. Invoking a strong sense of place, Charles’ Cape Town shapes what it means to be queer and Coloured. With a deft hand, the poet shapes the city in turn. Charles’ poems explore the tension between desire and detachment, longing and all-consuming love. This volume takes familiar, timeless themes by storm, forging them anew with luminous self-possession.