Found Family in Fiction: Why We Need These Stories More Than Ever
|
Listen to this article
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
I’ve always believed that family isn’t something you’re born into — it’s something you stumble upon, usually when life is at its most chaotic. The concept of “found family” has always felt more real to me than the traditional Sunday roast version with matching jumpers and WhatsApp groups.
It’s in the friendships that became lifelines. The bar staff who poured more than just drinks. The strangers who became witnesses to your life when no one else stuck around. These are the families we choose. And in fiction — just like in life — these are the stories that have always resonated most with me.
So it’s no surprise that Rainbows and Lollipops, the book I’ll be releasing on June 12, leans heavily into this theme.
Why found family stories speak to all of us
At first glance, found family might seem like a niche literary trope — the kind that only pops up in quirky comedies or dystopian epics where teenagers save the world aided by mismatched sidekicks. But the truth is, stories about chosen family hit something deep and universal.
They remind us that connection doesn’t need to come from shared bloodlines. That sometimes the people who show up late — in messy ways, with emotional baggage and borrowed furniture — are the ones who stay. Especially now, in a world that feels increasingly fragmented, these stories matter. They model hope. They give us a map for building community from the scraps.
In LGBTQ+ fiction, found family is more than a theme — it’s a lifeline
For queer readers and writers, the idea of found family isn’t just comforting — it’s often essential. Many of us know what it’s like to rewrite our definitions of home. To build trust with people who see us fully, even when the people we expected to love us couldn’t or wouldn’t.
In LGBTQ+ fiction, found family offers more than narrative warmth. It’s often the foundation for healing, resilience, and joy. It lets characters find strength in vulnerability and carve out new beginnings. That’s what I wanted for the people in Rainbows and Lollipops. They’re not perfect, and they’ve definitely not got it all figured out — but they find each other, and that changes everything.
Writing authentic relationships means listening first
When I set out to write this book, I knew I couldn’t just rely on my own experiences. I wanted to get the nuance of those chosen bonds right — especially the moments that are wordless, or messy, or come from the kind of shared survival instinct that forms when life knocks you around a bit.
So I spoke with friends. Read memoirs. Eavesdropped in coffee shops (always with a notebook and an air of discretion). I returned to my own early queer friendships — the ones that carried me through breakups, identity crises, and the sort of hungover Sundays that still make me shiver. These relationships aren’t perfect — but they’re real. They are where love shows up without being asked.
Found family, the British way
There’s also something beautifully British about the way found family plays out here. We’re not always ones for grand declarations — but we’ll put the kettle on when you need to talk, or sit beside you in silence when there’s nothing left to say.
Some of my favourite UK touchstones made their way into this book — the chaotic warmth of friends turning up unannounced, the café that becomes a second home, an oddball gang of faces who know just when to push and when to back off. These places, these dynamics, they inspired my characters. They remind me how even in the grumpiest corners of our culture, people still find ways to show up for each other.
Coming soon: a story that celebrates the people who stay
In Rainbows and Lollipops, found family isn’t just a theme — it’s the glue holding everything together. As the first book in a new LGBTQ+ fiction series, it lays the foundation for stories about complicated, loveable characters who create their own communities when the world falls short.
If you’ve ever felt more seen by your friends than your family… if you’ve built your own tribe one awkward brunch or shared crisis at a time… or if you just like your fiction with a dose of heartfelt chaos — then I think you’ll find something here to hold onto.
Thanks for reading. If this resonated with you, let’s keep the conversation going. Drop a comment, share your own found family stories — or subscribe to my Substack where I’m chronicling the gloriously messy road to publication.
