One of Us by Elizabeth Day

 

About the book

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. 

What I thought

I didn't realise this was a sequel to a previous book, The Party published in 2017. So to get the background I read that first. I'll be honest, I didn't enjoy it and was very reluctant to then pick this one up. Just goes to show, you can't judge one book by its predecessor because I absolutely bloody loved this one. I read it in a week, which for me is a quick read. Though I hate to use a cliché, I genuinely couldn't put this book down, it had me completely enthralled.

Do you need to read The Party first? Probably not, but if you do you will have a much deeper insight into what went before, the relationship between Martin and Ben, especially when they were younger and though I didn't particularly enjoy that book, I think it made this one even more enjoyable - to know in detail, the relationship they had before realisation dawned for Martin.

So here we are, seven years on and things have moved on, certainly for Martin, now divorced and living alone, he's surprised but intrigued when he receives an invitation from Ben's wife Serena to the funeral of Ben's sister Felicity Fitzmaurice (Fliss). 

Once the funeral is over, that's about it for Martin, we don't see him again until towards the end of the book. Perhaps that's what made this book better for me? I didn't like him and certainly didn't miss his character, even by the end of this book, there was just something about him that prevented me from warming to him.

This book concentrates on some of the other characters far more than in the previous book. This was the thing that really hooked me in, we spend time with each character, learning how deeply affected they've been by Ben's ambition at the expense of ordinary family life. We hear from Fliss before she died, we get into the mind of Serena and how she feels now, both as Ben's wife and also the relationship she has with her children. Cosima, Ben and Serena's daughter, we follow her story as she gets involved with an environmental activist group. Each one, almost a story in its own right, as they all touch on topical subjects.  And lastly Richard Take the MP, as we watch him fall from grace, only to be reinvented and popularised after he appears in a reality TV show. Where have we seen that in real life? 

The book is very reflective of what we've recently seen in politics and the higher echelons of power. Acutely observed, as the reader you can easily draw comparisons with some of the events played out in the media. For me it was the depth of characterisation and plot development that I enjoyed very much. A fabulous book that I certainly won't forget in a hurry. One of those books that you reach the end and think.......now that was good!   

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

 💙 Happy Reading 💙

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Thank you to the publisher Fourth Estate for an e-ARC of the book via Netgalley.

The book is out today published in hardback, ebook and audio. Available from all booksellers including Amazon.