Clancey Douglas's Poignant Romance Chronicles a Decade-Long Love Affair That Refuses to Die

Writer Cosmos announces the publication of Sometimes Goodbye, a deeply affecting debut novel by Clancey Douglas that examines the beautiful, brutal reality of a love that burns too bright to last—yet too powerfully to ever truly end.

When Daniel meets Lara in contemporary London, their connection is immediate and overwhelming. But Lara is married, damaged by a controlling relationship, and unable to trust the intensity of what she feels. What follows is a ten-year odyssey through the heights of passion and the depths of miscommunication, as two people who are perfect for each other prove tragically imperfect at being together.

Told in alternating perspectives that shift between Daniel's measured retrospection and Lara's confessional urgency, Sometimes Goodbye captures the poetry and pain of modern romance with unflinching honesty. From secret ballroom dancing in run-down East London halls to a fateful final meeting in a wine bar during a thunderstorm, Douglas crafts a narrative that feels both intimately personal and universally recognizable.

"This is a novel about the stories we tell ourselves, the lies we use to protect those we love, and the devastating consequences of fear disguised as self-preservation," says Douglas. "It asks whether we can ever truly know another person—or ourselves—and what we sacrifice when we're too afraid to try."

Sometimes Goodbye joins the tradition of literary romances that refuse easy answers, exploring themes of class, trauma, timing, and the ways our past shapes our capacity for love. With echoes of One Day and Normal People, Douglas has created characters whose flaws make them achingly human and whose love story will haunt readers long after the final page.

The novel concludes with a gut-wrenching revelation that reframes everything that came before, asking readers to reconsider the nature of sacrifice, the definition of a happy ending, and whether goodbye can ever really mean "I love you."

Sometimes Goodbye is available now through Writer Cosmos in print and digital formats.

About the Author: Clancey Douglas is a debut novelist whose intimate understanding of London's hidden corners and the human heart's hidden chambers marks them as a distinctive new voice in contemporary fiction.

Contact: https://clanceydouglas.com/