The Three of Us

Description

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?Praise for The Three of Us:

“Ore Agbaje-Williams’ novel is 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, author of Leave the World Behind
 
“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.”
—Robert Jones, Jr., author of The Prophets

“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 ORE AGBAJE-WILLIAMS is a British-Nigerian author and an acquiring editor at Borough Press. She wrote her debut novel The Three of Us during lockdown, and currently lives in London, England.
 US