Ore Agbaje-Williams

Three of Us

Best Book of the Year Time • Real Simple • Oprah Daily A Belletrist Book Club Pick "As short and sharp as a pairing knife . . . Moves along so briskly and with such sly wit . . . Deliciously wicked." —Ron Charles, The Washington Post Long-standing tensions between a husband, his wife, and her best friend finally come to a breaking point in this sharp domestic comedy of manners, told brilliantly over the course of one day. What if your two favorite people hated each other with a passion? The wife has it all. A big house in a nice neighborhood, a ride-or-die snarky best friend, Temi, with whom to laugh about facile men, and a devoted husband who loves her above all else—even his distaste for Temi. On a seemingly normal day, Temi comes over to spend a lazy afternoon with the wife: drinking wine, eating snacks, and laughing caustically about the husband's shortcomings. But when the husband comes home and a series of confessions are made, the wife's two confidantes are suddenly forced to jockey for their positions, throwing everyone's integrity into question—and their long-drawn-out territorial dance, carefully constructed over years, into utter chaos. Told in three taut, mesmerizing parts—the wife, the husband, the best friend—over the course of one day, The Three of Us is a subversively comical, wildly astute, and painfully compulsive triptych of domestic life that explores cultural truths, what it means to defy them, and the fine line between compromise and betrayal when it comes to ourselves and the people we're meant to love.

The Three of Us

“Devouring this bold, brilliant satire was refreshing and confronting and completely entertaining.” —Ashley Audrain, New York Times bestselling author of The Push Long-standing tensions between a husband, his wife, and her best friend finally come to a breaking point in this sharp domestic comedy of manners, told brilliantly over the course of one day. What if the two most important people in your life hated each other with a passion? The wife has it all. A big house in a nice neighbourhood, a ride-or-die snarky friend with whom to laugh about facile men, and an affectionate husband who loves her above all else. The only thing missing from this portrait is a baby. But motherhood is a serious undertaking, especially for the wife who has valued her selfhood above all else. On a seemingly normal day, the best friend comes over to spend a lazy afternoon with the wife. But when the husband comes home and a series of confessions are made that threaten to throw everything off balance, the wife's two confidantes are suddenly forced to jockey for their positions. Told in three taut, mesmerizing parts—the wife, the husband, the best friend—the day quickly unfolds to show how the trio's dented visions of each other finally unravel, throwing everyone’s integrity into question—and their long-drawn-out territorial dance, carefully constructed over pivotal years, into utter chaos. At once subversively comical, wildly astute, and painfully compulsive, The Three of Us explores cultural truths, what it means to defy them, and the fine line between compromise and betrayal, ultimately asking: Who are we if not for the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves, and the people we’re meant to love?

'Funny and barbed, and the twists at the end had me shocked' MONICA HEISEY, author of Really Good, Actually WIFE. HUSBAND. BEST FRIEND. What if your two favourite people hated each other with a passion? A nice house, a carefree life, a doting husband, 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 a single day, husband, wife and best friend Temi toe the lines of compromise and betrayal. Told in three parts, three people's lives, and their visions of themselves and one another begin to slowly unravel, until a startling discovery throws everyone's integrity into question. '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 'Sharp, astute... Packs a serious punch' YOMI ADEGOKE, author of The List 'Wickedly enjoyable' NAOISE DOLAN, author of Exciting Times 'Has that elusive Sally Rooney style of writing' STYLIST

‘Funny and barbed, and the twists at the end had me shocked’ MONICA HEISEY, author of Really Good, Actually WIFE. HUSBAND. BEST FRIEND. What if your two favourite people hated each other with a passion? A nice house, a carefree life, a doting husband, 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 a single day, husband, wife and best friend Temi toe the lines of compromise and betrayal. Told in three parts, three people's lives, and their visions of themselves and one another begin to slowly unravel, until a startling discovery throws everyone's integrity into question. ‘Funny, terrifically entertaining’ DAILY MAIL ‘A treat... this millennial noir is a taut exploration of culture and the politics of relationships’ BOLU BABALOLA ‘Sharp, astute... Packs a serious punch’ YOMI ADEGOKE ‘Wickedly enjoyable’ NAOISE DOLAN ‘Has that elusive Sally Rooney style of writing... Enjoy’ STYLIST

Ore Agbaje-Williams

About

Books

Join the club