Told in three parts, the story follows Sullivan Moss, a hapless thirty-nine-year-old with a long list of failures to his name, including an unsuccessful suicide attempt. As Sully wakes up in hospital feeling like a waste of space, he resolves ‘to be useful’ by donating a kidney to a stranger. The long road to becoming an ‘altruistic donor’ gives Sully new-found purpose and sets off his physical and psychological transformation as he gains sobriety, employment, a lean physique, and a potential love interest. But can anyone truly change his circumstances? Oswald wisely invests in the question rather than an answer and, by applying the question to a diverse range of characters, leaves space for readers to consider their own views.

‘Oswald wisely invests in the question rather than an answer and, by applying the question to a diverse range of characters, leaves space for readers to consider their own views’

As playwrights know well, the human susceptibility to miscommunicate is fertile ground for drama. Oswald, who has written extensively for stage and screen and who co-created hit television drama Offspring, excels in illuminating the gap between our inner world, where we fret and fantasise, and the outer world, the one that others see. In Useful, the third-person narration alternates between the perspectives of Sully, radio producer and single-mother Natalie, Sully’s ex-mate Tim, and others, often revealing each character’s interpretation of the same events.

The characters of Sullivan and Natalie are likeably neurotic, vulnerable, and fundamentally kind. Their relentless self-doubt has the potential to grate but Oswald keeps us on side with humour, compassion, sharp observations, and an entertaining plot that culminates in a pacy finale. Useful is an enjoyable read that will appeal to a wide audience.