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THE THREE OF US
MAY 2023
PRE-ORDER
COVER DESIGN: Suzanne Dean & Anna Morrison
COVER DESIGN: Vi-An Nguyen
PRAISE
“Ore Agbaje-Williams has that elusive Sally Rooney style of writing: it seems simple and easy to do but is incredibly difficult to pull off.”
STYLIST (Best Fiction Books of 2023)
“Three soliloquists audition to be the main character, each with certain claims, certain gripes. As Agbaje-Williams’s trio depart from their hinges, her own grip on events holds tight. With deft plotting, mature control of voice and a wicked enjoyment of perspective, The Three of Us is well-marshalled and full of fun.”
nAOISE DOLAN,
Sunday Times bestselling author of Exciting Times
“A treat of a debut. Agbaje-Williams has a gift of gliding between the sharpest driest humour and damning emotional revelations that incisively exposes the vulnerabilities, fallacies and messiness that line the relationships with those we are closest to. Dazzling, dextrous and droll, this millennial noir is a taut exploration of culture and the politics of relationships.”
BOLU BABALOLA,
author of Love in Colour & Honey & Spice
“[An] intoxicating debut . . . it’s delicious to watch the characters’ long-fermenting tensions come to the fore. It lands as a discerning debut from an author who knows a thing or two (or three) about the ever-shifting dynamics of intimacy.”
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
“Taut and precise, as honest as it is hilarious, I consumed The Three of Us in a single sitting. Not to be missed.”
Caleb azumah nelson,
author of Open Water & Small Worlds
“[A] striking, often wickedly funny debut . . . Agbaje-Williams brilliantly captures the inner monologue as well as the conversational style of each of the three through which their whole cultural milieu takes shape around them . . . An original and potent comedy of manners with an ingenious final twist.”
KIRKUS, STARRED REVIEW
“I’m obsessed. This is a masterful, at times familiar and relatable, yet ultimately disturbing portrayal of a friendship. Constantly surprising, often dark and at times sinister, it is without fail always entertaining and funny.”
CLAIRE KOHDA,
author of Woman, Eating
“This sharp, taught, dark comedy that takes place over the course of one fateful day, the simmering tensions between a husband, a wife, and her best friend come to a boiling point. It’s a tense read that will have you glued to your beach chair!”
Jenny jackson [via gma online],
New York Times Bestselling author of Pineapple Street
“Unique and completely captivating, The Three of Us absorbed me. When I finished I wanted to go back and read it from the beginning again.”
ANNIE LORD,
author of Notes on Heartbreak
“Pundits are also excited by the debut novel from British-Nigerian author Ore Agbaje-Williams, already billed as the bookshop equivalent of Michaela Coel’s TV hit
I May Destroy You.”
observer (2023 Highlights & Hotspots)
“An astute, composed and quietly hilarious observation of identity, marriage and friendship from a unique storyteller.”
diana evans,
author of Ordinary People
“A sharp, humorous, superbly entertaining novel exploring Black love and relationships and the conflicts and tensions that arise from jealousy, desire, control and cultural expectations. Agbaje-Williams' cultural references and evocation of the contemporary world within which Black couples build relationships is insightful and impressive.”
JACQUELINE CROOKS,
author of Fire Rush
“If you want some drama in your reading life, The Three of Us by Ore Agbaje-Williams is a witty comedy of manners about a wife, a husband and a best friend. Relationships fracture over the course of a single day as ambition, wealth and integrity are weaponized for personal gain.”
i-d mAGAZINE ('All the books to be excited for in 2023')
“Funny, fresh and full of drama, not a word goes to waste in this extraordinary debut ... cannot recommend enough.”
SOPHIE IRWIN,
Sunday Times bestselling author of A Lady's Guide to Fortune Hunting
“Told in three parts, each voice as compelling as the next, three people's lives, and their visions of themselves and each other begin to slowly unravel, until a startling discovery throws everyone's integrity into question. If you didn't know already – we can't wait for this one.”
PLATINUM ('10 books you will love in 2023')
“Devouring this bold, brilliant satire was refreshing and confronting and completely entertaining. So much is achieved in Agbaje-Williams' writing: the nuances that make even our closest relationships uncomfortable, the tension of a shifting perspective, the anarchy provoked by a single cunning comment. Beguiling and cutting and admirable - I loved it.”ashley audrain,
New York Times bestselling author of The Push
“Both wickedly entertaining and thought-provoking. I couldn't stop turning the page!”lizzie damilola blackburn,
author of Yinka, Where is Your Huzband?
“Ore Agbaje-Williams's The Three of Us is explosive not because of the arguments, the betrayals, the passive-aggression, or the enmities; those are all exquisite. But what rocked me was the naked examination of that coveted construct we call innocence: how very few people actually are, especially the ones who believe that's all they can be; how easily it's weaponized and made indistinguishable from guilt; and how the people who are honest about this are the only ones with a real chance at wellness and wholeness. The Three of Us read, wrote, and erased me. Then, it gave me back to myself, giggling and nodding my head. What a keen mind this story comes from. What a calm power this story holds. And goodness gracious: that ending!”
ROBERT JONES, JR.,
New York Times bestselling author of The Prophets
“A taut study of three people, exploring with the lightest of touches how being the child of immigrants affects one’s thinking about gender roles, personal and professional ambition, human intimacy, and much more. The Three of Us is a cunning (and often very funny) book, a wily and promising debut.”
Rumaan Alam,
New York Times bestselling author of Leave the World Behind
A nice house, a carefree life, a husband who adores you, a best friend who never leaves your side. What more could you ask for? There's just one problem, your husband and best friend love you, but they hate each other.
Set over the course of a single day, husband, wife and best friend Temi toe the lines of compromise and betrayal. Told in three parts, each voice as compelling as the next, three people's lives, and their visions of themselves and each other begin to slowly unravel, until a startling discovery throws everyone's integrity into question.
Full of intrigue, idiosyncratic wit and a healthy dose of wealth and snobbery The Three of Us is part-suburban millennial comedy of manners, part-domestic noir, and is for fans of My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite, Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid, and Michaela Coel's I May Destroy You.
PUBLISHERS: Jonathan Cape (Eng), US: Putnam (Eng), Canada: Penguin Random House (Eng)
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