One of Us - by Elizabeth Day (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Pineapple Street meets Anatomy of a Scandal in this juicy, fast-paced ensemble drama about old friends, dazzling wealth, and the secrets the uppercrust will keep--as long as they're on your side.

When Fliss, the eccentric and troubled grown daughter of the wealthy and powerful Fitzmaurice clan, is found dead on beach in Bali, what seems like a tragic accident stirs more suspicion than closure for those who've traded favors with her family for decades.

Through their intertwined stories, we see a family unraveling under the weight of its secrets, about to discover the price of having stepped over and onto each other as they strained to ascend the ladder of success, accumulating social capital, political power, and financial dominance.

There is Ben, Fliss's brother, eager to minimize his sister's passing, since it's suddenly clear he's next in line to be Prime Minister. And Martin--Ben's erstwhile best friend--who is just happy that Fliss's memorial gives him the chance to re-enter the Fitzmaurice orbit, seeking revenge and acceptance. He can't help but notice that Ben's wife, Serena, seems to have discovered in middle age that her privileged existence is more like a gilded cage. Or that Ben and Serena's daughter Cosima, has become an environmental activist fighting against everything her parents seem to stand for--a pivot her late aunt would've applauded. Where does Richard Take, Ben's disgraced colleague, determined to make his big comeback, fit in? And circling them all is Andrew Jarvis and his money--has he been their loyal hero or the one who has thrown his weight around just to keep them all in check?

Delivering incisive commentary on the hypocrisies of the elite, the illusions of belonging, and the uneasy balance between personal ambition and collective responsibility, ONE OF US is a page-turner with teeth--darkly comic and razor-sharp, as well as unexpectedly hopeful.

Review Quotes

"Funny, sharp, sophisticated, this is Elizabeth Day's writing at its finest."
--Dolly Alderton, New York Times bestselling author of Good Material

"One of Us is intelligent, darkly humorous, and brilliantly written. It is a story for our time."
--Stanley Tucci

"The thinking person's thriller. A Trojan horse of a book--part Highsmith, part Waugh--that hides within its superbly gripping plot a gimlet-eyed interrogation of class, privilege and power."
--Lucy Foley

About the Author

Elizabeth Day is one of the most influential voices in British media. As the UK's #1 female podcaster, How to Fail has become the go-to hitmaker launching authors such as Meg Mason and Glennon Doyle onto the bestseller list there. Elizabeth lives in London and Los Angeles, where she is filming the next season How to Fail.