Ore Agbaje-Williams

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The Three of Us

Penguin Shop: 3 Clothbound Classics for £33

Sharp, astute and wickedly funny&hellip; a taut, darkly comic read that packs a serious punch

A funny, terrifically entertaining read

A treat&hellip; Dazzling, dextrous and droll, this millennial noir is a taut exploration of culture and the politics of relationships

Switching points of view among the three, this debut is viciously funny, different than anything you’ve read lately, and at the same time, strangely relatable

Sharp, astute and wickedly funny - Ore Agbaje-Williams' sharp wit and perfectly realised protagonists make for a taut, darkly comic read that packs a serious punch

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

Deftly plotted and wickedly enjoyable... I tore through this, and you will, too. The triad of voices seems to flow spontaneously, but is intricately assembled to result in maximum drama

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... Enjoy

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

An astute, composed and quietly hilarious observation of identity, marriage and friendship from a unique storyteller

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

Rich, dazzling and deeply possessive... At just 192 pages, The Three of Us is as short and sharp as a paring knife

It’s not that people haven’t been talking about… The Three of Us, it’s just that I think everyone should be screaming about it… It’s funny and barbed, and the twists at the end had me shocked

Monica Heisey, author of REALLY GOOD, ACTUALLY

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

The Three of Us toes the tightrope between concession and deception as Agbaje-Williams executes surprise twists in a narrative that’s drenched in wine

Explosive... What rocked me was the naked examination of that coveted construct we call innocence... 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

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... Insightful and impressive

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

Both wickedly entertaining and thought-provoking. I couldn't stop turning the page!

Lizzie Damilola Blackburn, author of YINKA, WHERE IS YOUR HUZBAND?

A unique novel... with a clever premise and definitely one that will provoke a lot of discussion.

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

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

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.

‘Everyone should be screaming about it’ MONICA HEISEY 
 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. You couldn’t ask for more. There’s just one problem: your husband and best friend love you, but they hate each other. 
 
 Over a single day, wife, husband and best friend Temi toe the lines of compromise and betrayal. Slowly, their lives begin to 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 
 ‘A tense read that will have you glued to your beach chair!’ JENNY JACKSON 
 READERS LOVE THE THREE OF US‘I devoured this brilliant book in one sitting’‘Compulsive reading…it’s extremely hard to put down’‘Agbaje-Williams is definitely one to watch’‘An excellent book club read’‘The characters all felt completely real…utterly brilliant’‘I absolutely loved this book!’

Ore Agbaje-Williams is a British-Nigerian writer from London who has written for gal-dem, Glamour and Wasafiri. She is an editor and wrote the novel in NaNoWriMo during lockdown. It was originally submitted to editors under a pseudonym.

The Three of Us

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Sharp, astute and wickedly funny… a taut, darkly comic read that packs a serious punch

A funny, terrifically entertaining read

A treat… Dazzling, dextrous and droll, this millennial noir is a taut exploration of culture and the politics of relationships

Switching points of view among the three, this debut is viciously funny, different than anything you’ve read lately, and at the same time, strangely relatable

A delicious comedy noir

Sharp, astute and wickedly funny - Ore Agbaje-Williams' sharp wit and perfectly realised protagonists make for a taut, darkly comic read that packs a serious punch

Deftly plotted and wickedly enjoyable... I tore through this, and you will, too. The triad of voices seems to flow spontaneously, but is intricately assembled to result in maximum drama

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... Enjoy

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

About Ore Agbaje-Williams

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