The Three of Us

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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 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 distate 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 subversely 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.

Reviews

One of Lit Hub's Most Anticipated Books of 2023
One of NYLON's Most Anticipated Books of 2023

"[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 Reviews (starred review)

"[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

"Taking place over the course of a single day, this bold, sharp debut novel explores the intrigue of the mnage trois in a comedy of manners about the tensions between a husband, his wife, and her best friend." -NYLON

"A biting comedy of manners with a delightfully simple, but incredibly fertile, premise . . . . Over three acts, as the thin walls of tact and civility begin to erode, all manner of scabrously hilarious confessions and accusations burst through." --Lit Hub

"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, author of The Push

"The Three of Us is explosive. . . . What rocked me was the naked examination of that coveted construct we call innocence. . . . 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

"Both wickedly entertaining and thought-provoking. I couldn't stop turning the page!" --Lizzie Damilola Blackburn, author of Yinka, Where Is Your Huzband

"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, author of Exciting Times

"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

"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

"An astute, composed, and quietly hilarious observation of identity, marriage, and friendship from a unique storyteller." --Diana Evans, author of Ordinary People

"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

"Funny, fresh, and full of drama. Not a word goes to waste in this extraordinary debut." --Sophie Irwin, author of A Lady's Guide to Fortune-Hunting

Author Bio

Ore Agbaje-Williams is a British Nigerian writer and book editor from London. The Three of Us is her first novel.