In this compulsive story of betrayal, old bonds and buried scandals, one British establishment family comes face to face with the consequences of privilege and the true cost of power.
Martin and Ben were friends for decades ― best friends, Martin would have said ― before the terrible events at Ben’s 40th birthday party tore them apart. So when Martin receives a surprise invitation back into the inner sanctum of the dazzling Fitzmaurice family after seven years of silence, he can’t resist the chance to get his revenge.
Ben has risen through the ranks of power, and is now touted as the next Prime Minister. But Martin can’t help but notice certain flies in the ointment… Ben’s wife, Serena, for instance, whose privileged existence is beginning to feel like a gilded cage. Or their daughter, Cosima, an environmental activist fighting against everything her parents once stood for. Or the disgraced MP Richard Take, determined to make his big comeback. And then there’s Fliss, the Fitzmaurice black sheep, whose untimely death sparks more suspicion than closure. Through their intertwined stories, we see a family – and a nation – unravelling under the weight of its secrets.
With everyone watching, the stage is set for a reckoning. It's time for Martin and Ben to confront what love truly means when everything―family, power, and loyalty―is on the line.
Review
‘One of Us is intelligent, darkly humorous and brilliantly written. It is a story for our time’ STANLEY TUCCI
‘Funny, sharp, sophisticated, this is Elizabeth Day’s writing at its finest’ DOLLY ALDERTON
‘Speaks truth to power in such an entertaining, gripping way. If a man had written this it would DEFINITELY be called ‘a state of the nation’ novel and ‘essential’ reading. Elizabeth Day deserves all those accolades (and ALL the praise)’ MARIAN KEYES
‘Clever and superbly-crafted … It'll keep you turning the page until the very last sentence, I loved it and read it in one sitting’ KATE MOSSE
‘One of Us is thrillingly astute on the state of the nation, but it is also gorgeously written, utterly compelling, and full of characters you will love and hate – and also love to hate! A book as stylish and inimitable as its author’ SARA COLLINS
‘The thinking person’s thriller. Part Highsmith, part Waugh … A superbly gripping plot with a gimlet-eyed interrogation of class, privilege and power in modern Britain’ LUCY FOLEY
‘Sensational’ GRAZIA
‘A razor-sharp take on class, identity, friendship and the political establishment with a side order of compassion and some unforgettable characters. Just glorious’ JENNIE GODFREY
‘This timely story about the abuse of power is one of those books you just want to inhale in one go’ GOOD HOUSEKEEPING
'One of the foremost writers of our time. A political thriller, anti-establishment revenge novel. Unputdownable and really cracking' FI GLOVER
‘Hilariously funny, yet also deeply powerful. A rare and compelling combination’ JOANNA CANNON
‘I’m already hooked on this juicy revenge comedy… a tantalising portrait of privilege and power’THE TIMES
‘As always, Day is sharply observant, clever and highly readable’ THE GLOSS
About the Author
Elizabeth Day is the author of five novels and four works of non-fiction, including her Sunday Times bestselling novel Magpie, and hit memoir How to Fail. She is the creator and host of the chart-topping podcast How to Fail with Elizabeth Day.
