Richard E. Grant emigrated from Swaziland to London in 1982, with dreams of making it as an actor, when he unexpectedly met and fell in love with renowned dialect coach Joan Washington. Their relationship and marriage, navigating the highs and lows of Hollywood, parenthood, and loss, lasted almost forty years. When Joan died in 2021, her final challenge to him was to find a pocketful of happiness every day.

This honest and frequently hilarious memoir is written in honor of that challenge –  Richard has faithfully kept a diary since childhood, and in these entries, he shares in raw detail everything he has experienced: both the pain of losing his beloved wife and the excitement of their life together, from the role that transformed his life overnight in Withnail & I to his thrilling Oscar nomination thirty years later for Can You Ever Forgive Me? 

Told with candor in Richard’s utterly unique style, A Pocketful of Happiness is a powerful, funny, and moving celebration of life’s unexpected joys.