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The Three of Us
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 the two most important people in your life hated each other with a passion?The wife has it all. A big house in a nice neighborhood, a ride-or-die snarky friend with whom to laugh about facile men, and an affectionate husband who loves her above all else. The only thing missing from this portrait is a baby. But motherhood is a serious undertaking, especially for the wife who has valued her selfhood above all else.On a seemingly normal day, the best friend comes over to spend a lazy afternoon with the wife. But when the husband comes home and a series of confessions are made that threaten to throw everything off balance, the wife's two confidantes are suddenly forced to jockey for their positions. Told in three taut, mesmerizing parts—the wife, the husband, the best friend—the day quickly unfolds to show how the trio's dented visions of each other finally unravel, throwing everyone’s integrity into question – and their long-drawn-out territorial dance, carefully constructed over pivotal years, into utter chaos.At once subversively comical, wildly astute, and painfully compulsive, The Three of Us explores cultural truths, what it means to defy them, and the fine line between compromise and betrayal, ultimately who are we if not for the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves, and the people we’re meant to love?
208 pages, Paperback
First published May 16, 2023
428 people are currently reading
25275 people want to read
About the author
Ore Agbaje-Williams
2 books91 followersORE AGBAJE-WILLIAMS is a British-Nigerian writer and editor from North London who has written for gal—dem, Glamour UK and Wasafiri magazine. Her fiction writing has also been featured on Reflex Fiction. Her first novel, The Three of Us, was published by Jonathan Cape (UK), Putnam (US) and Penguin Random House Canada in May 2023.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,580 reviews
November 6, 2023
well, i met the definition of insanity again (reading short lit fic with a low average rating over and over and expecting it to work).
i love a hateful individual as much as the next person, so give me 3 hateful individuals and that's even better. and on the worst days i wonder if i love fiction so much because it scratches the same itch as my real passion: gossip. so this seemed like a recipe for success.
unfortunately, this book tells the same events happening 3 times (in 3 technically different but essentially identical voices) before ending right before the juicy part.
bummer.
bottom line: i would take literally any interesting anecdote about my coworkers over this. which isn't as bad as it sounds since office gossip is what life is all about.
i love a hateful individual as much as the next person, so give me 3 hateful individuals and that's even better. and on the worst days i wonder if i love fiction so much because it scratches the same itch as my real passion: gossip. so this seemed like a recipe for success.
unfortunately, this book tells the same events happening 3 times (in 3 technically different but essentially identical voices) before ending right before the juicy part.
bummer.
bottom line: i would take literally any interesting anecdote about my coworkers over this. which isn't as bad as it sounds since office gossip is what life is all about.
September 1, 2022
This really lacked on so many levels for me. This is about 3 people; a husband, his wife and her best friend. It's told from all 3 aspects. However, it seems to just repeat the same events in different perspectives. When it gets closer to the end, it starts becoming interesting (for once) but then the story just ends abruptly. Like no actual closure or excitement. It's like the book ended and the author didn't get a chance to finish the story. I didn't like any of it. A good ending would've saved the rest of the mediocre storyline for me, but that didn't happen. Lacked depth, no true character development and the ending was flat with no true "ending" just felt like the story stopped mid-sentence.
I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publishers to read and review. All statements above are my own true opinions after fully reading this book.
I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publishers to read and review. All statements above are my own true opinions after fully reading this book.
September 1, 2022
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC of THE THREE OF US by Ore Agbaje-Williams.
Being yourself, I say, being true to yourself, and then of course being honest and upfront is absolutely key to any relationship. Without that, what are we? Anything built on a lie or secrets isn't going to last....My friend's husband has his brow creased in confusion. Yes, he says slowly, shocked by his own agreement with me. I nod at him and turn back to my friend and put my hand over hers on the table. That's why I think you should tell him. p272-3
This is a story in which not much happens because everything has already happened and is already happening. The reading experience mirrors the overlapping experiences and emotions of the three main characters: a Nigerian house wife living in London (I cannot find her name in my digital copy right now, but I think Agbaje-Williams may have intended this), her equally name-challenged husband, and Temi, her best friend. On one side, Husband is traditional, works a traditional job, has traditional wants and desires for himself, his life, and of course his wife (whom he never refers to as anything else...my wife). On the other, Temi has little use for relationships and even her history with Wife is jarringly transactional. She is preoccupied with potential--her own, Wife's, men's general lack of it, in her estimation--and she prizes above all independence -- intellectual, emotional, sexual... reproductive. And between them both thinking always what is best for everyone is Wife. Poor woman.
Throughout the book, Husband and Temi increasingly vie and compete for the attention and loyalty of the Wife, who I came to think of eventually merely as, "that poor woman." These conflicts create a great deal of the tension and the entirety of the storyline that carries this book forward to its conclusion (which is unfortunately a little weak due to a complete lack of denouement, I'm afraid).
But I think the real story here is in the subtext. If you ask me, Agbaje-Williams designed Husband to represent that old undeniable patriarchy, and Temi to represent an old screechy kind of feminism that throws as many people under the bus as it tries to help. And Wife? She's stuck in the middle.
Poor woman.
One of the best things about this book is the experimental form. From big to small, Agbaje-Williams made beautiful choices to support the narrative she built. Three sections, each from a different third of this rather odd love triangle, each written in a well-developed style for the speaker. In all sections, no speech indicators. No quotation marks, line or paragraph breaks, very few dialogue tags. As though to reinforce the overlapping nature of these characters voices, sections, lives.
I loved this book. Looking forward to ordering a print copy of this one.
✔️August Pick 8/10
Rating 4.5 stars rounded up
Finished August 2022
Recommended for fans of contemporary fiction, women's fiction, romance, love triangles; readers looking for diverse voices and stories; readers interested in feminism
*Follow my Instagram book blog for all my reviews, challenges, and book lists! http://www.instagram.com/donasbooks *
Being yourself, I say, being true to yourself, and then of course being honest and upfront is absolutely key to any relationship. Without that, what are we? Anything built on a lie or secrets isn't going to last....My friend's husband has his brow creased in confusion. Yes, he says slowly, shocked by his own agreement with me. I nod at him and turn back to my friend and put my hand over hers on the table. That's why I think you should tell him. p272-3
This is a story in which not much happens because everything has already happened and is already happening. The reading experience mirrors the overlapping experiences and emotions of the three main characters: a Nigerian house wife living in London (I cannot find her name in my digital copy right now, but I think Agbaje-Williams may have intended this), her equally name-challenged husband, and Temi, her best friend. On one side, Husband is traditional, works a traditional job, has traditional wants and desires for himself, his life, and of course his wife (whom he never refers to as anything else...my wife). On the other, Temi has little use for relationships and even her history with Wife is jarringly transactional. She is preoccupied with potential--her own, Wife's, men's general lack of it, in her estimation--and she prizes above all independence -- intellectual, emotional, sexual... reproductive. And between them both thinking always what is best for everyone is Wife. Poor woman.
Throughout the book, Husband and Temi increasingly vie and compete for the attention and loyalty of the Wife, who I came to think of eventually merely as, "that poor woman." These conflicts create a great deal of the tension and the entirety of the storyline that carries this book forward to its conclusion (which is unfortunately a little weak due to a complete lack of denouement, I'm afraid).
But I think the real story here is in the subtext. If you ask me, Agbaje-Williams designed Husband to represent that old undeniable patriarchy, and Temi to represent an old screechy kind of feminism that throws as many people under the bus as it tries to help. And Wife? She's stuck in the middle.
Poor woman.
One of the best things about this book is the experimental form. From big to small, Agbaje-Williams made beautiful choices to support the narrative she built. Three sections, each from a different third of this rather odd love triangle, each written in a well-developed style for the speaker. In all sections, no speech indicators. No quotation marks, line or paragraph breaks, very few dialogue tags. As though to reinforce the overlapping nature of these characters voices, sections, lives.
I loved this book. Looking forward to ordering a print copy of this one.
✔️August Pick 8/10
Rating 4.5 stars rounded up
Finished August 2022
Recommended for fans of contemporary fiction, women's fiction, romance, love triangles; readers looking for diverse voices and stories; readers interested in feminism
*Follow my Instagram book blog for all my reviews, challenges, and book lists! http://www.instagram.com/donasbooks *
Read
May 15, 2023This sharp-edged domestic comedy is told from the perspectives of a wife, her husband, and her best friend. Over the course of the day, you'll jump from one POV to another, while long-held tensions grow taut and quickly unravel. A thought-provoking read.
January 15, 2023
These are three of the most frustrating, manipulative, passive aggressive trio to read and each have their own separate sections/POVs in the book.
The wife has no backbone, doesn't speak up for herself and lets her friend do whatever she wants. The husband who can't stand the friend bc she's basically another version of his sister but worse. The unhinged friend who hates people in her space but refuses to respect any boundaries when it comes to anyone else and her co-dependency to the wife.
The only one who really grabbed my attention was the friend through her POV. She is the worst friend you could have and needs to be locked in a padded room. A walking prelude to an episode of Deadly Women.
It's a short novel of less than 200 pages yet reads as if 400 pages instead due to the clunky writing and lack of quotations for any of the dialogue. It's made up of three parts for each character POV that have no chapters with a habit of repetition. No names are given to the reader outside of Temi, the friend. A lot of "my friend's husband," "my husband," "my wife's friend," etc.
The writing can also get confusing at times like it feels as if it was originally in journal entries from a different language but got lost in translation? I don't know how to explain in any other way for the moment. It ended so abruptly and I think it's supposed to be ambiguous but comes off as an unfinished draft.
Thanks to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for providing a copy for an honest review.
The wife has no backbone, doesn't speak up for herself and lets her friend do whatever she wants. The husband who can't stand the friend bc she's basically another version of his sister but worse. The unhinged friend who hates people in her space but refuses to respect any boundaries when it comes to anyone else and her co-dependency to the wife.
The only one who really grabbed my attention was the friend through her POV. She is the worst friend you could have and needs to be locked in a padded room. A walking prelude to an episode of Deadly Women.
It's a short novel of less than 200 pages yet reads as if 400 pages instead due to the clunky writing and lack of quotations for any of the dialogue. It's made up of three parts for each character POV that have no chapters with a habit of repetition. No names are given to the reader outside of Temi, the friend. A lot of "my friend's husband," "my husband," "my wife's friend," etc.
The writing can also get confusing at times like it feels as if it was originally in journal entries from a different language but got lost in translation? I don't know how to explain in any other way for the moment. It ended so abruptly and I think it's supposed to be ambiguous but comes off as an unfinished draft.
Thanks to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for providing a copy for an honest review.
May 16, 2023
Everybody needs a friend as loyal as Temi.
God help anybody with a friend like Temi.
That’s the paradox at the center of “The Three of Us,” the debut novel by British-Nigerian writer Ore Agbaje-Williams. She presents a day in the lives of a husband and his wife and the wife’s best friend, Temi.
She’s rich, dazzling and deeply possessive. Watch out. At just 192 pages, “The Three of Us” is as short and sharp as a paring knife — perfect for carving up this marriage.
Agbaje-Williams writes in a fluid, conversational style that dissolves paper and ink into sound waves. Arranged in three acts — I mean, chapters — the novel is so theatrical in its structure and immediacy that the moment you finish reading it, you’ll imagine you actually heard it. (In fact, you can: The audiobook version, narrated by Jake Fairbrother, T’Nia Miller and Tariye Peterside, exquisitely exploits the story’s performative quality.)
Only Temi gets a name in these pages, as though she’s already smudged out the identity of the other two. But we hear from them first, in a clever sequence that sets the stage for Temi’s calamitous meddling. . . .
To read the rest of this review, go to The Washington Post:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/...
God help anybody with a friend like Temi.
That’s the paradox at the center of “The Three of Us,” the debut novel by British-Nigerian writer Ore Agbaje-Williams. She presents a day in the lives of a husband and his wife and the wife’s best friend, Temi.
She’s rich, dazzling and deeply possessive. Watch out. At just 192 pages, “The Three of Us” is as short and sharp as a paring knife — perfect for carving up this marriage.
Agbaje-Williams writes in a fluid, conversational style that dissolves paper and ink into sound waves. Arranged in three acts — I mean, chapters — the novel is so theatrical in its structure and immediacy that the moment you finish reading it, you’ll imagine you actually heard it. (In fact, you can: The audiobook version, narrated by Jake Fairbrother, T’Nia Miller and Tariye Peterside, exquisitely exploits the story’s performative quality.)
Only Temi gets a name in these pages, as though she’s already smudged out the identity of the other two. But we hear from them first, in a clever sequence that sets the stage for Temi’s calamitous meddling. . . .
To read the rest of this review, go to The Washington Post:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/...
April 9, 2025
I liked how this book addressed edgy themes such as conflict between your romantic partner and your best friend. Ore Agbaje-Williams does a nice job of tackling heteronormativity and amatonormativity in a biting and refreshing way. That said, I wish the book had a bit more depth. Perhaps it’s short on purpose, though the characters felt a bit too caricature-like for me. My personal preference is that some of the more satirical vibe was substituted with more earnest character development. I don’t think this book deserves such a low star rating on this website even though I’m also only giving it three stars.
December 11, 2023
May I never befriend a Temi 🙏🏾
May 11, 2023
Published today 11-5-23
The set up of this book is relatively straightforward – a triangle of three people: wife, husband (both unnamed but a very well off London-based Nigerian-descended couple) and (the also well-off, London based Nigerian) wife’s best friend Temi, with the added complication of Temi being extremely close to the husband’s sister who is married to Temi’s brother.
Temi and the husband hate each other: Temi because she still cannot believe that her best friend (the wife) has effectively betrayed what she thought was a life long pledge to reject the domestic dreams of their parents and to live an independent life (BMFM – by myself and for myself) and instead stay as the closest of close friends; she seems to believe – or at least hope - that the whole marriage is a prank by her friend which got out of hand. The husband for the (at least to me entirely understandable) reason that Temi’s presence in their household is close to stalker like and seems based around systematically undermining his marriage – albeit its also clear that he has some fairly conventional and traditional expectations of the marriage and his and his wife’s roles in it.
The novel takes place over a single day. Temi who, as is her wont, comes over for a day of drinking and marriage wrecking is horrified to find that the husband and wife have been trying (for all of a) month or so to have a child so far unsuccessfully; the husband comes back part way through a stressful workday and resents Temi’s presence and both try to influence the wife in their favour.
It is written in three first party sections, with the wife, then the husband and then Temi taking turns to take over the narrative of the events of the day, while also looking back over incidents in the past (often with different perspectives on the same events).
I did not think that the structure quite worked: for me both the husband and Temi had a pretty clear agenda and their sections serve largely to reinforce the impression we have of them from the other narrators. The more complex motivation is that of the wife, however with her section coming first we do not really get to the bottom of how she has permitted the situation to arise or how she feels when Temi and her husband try to engineer a crisis and so force her to a choice between them (both taking it largely for granted that she would chose them).
In a book with unreliable (or at least slightly self-deluded) narrators I felt I needed someone with a more reasonable (or even just believable) behaviour, as well as someone I could sympathise with – and in the absence of that in any of the three narrators I felt my investment in the novel rather unmoored.
Overall I think this is a book which might appeal to fans of “My Sister the Serial Killer” – but which was not for me.
My thanks to Random House, UK for an ARC via NetGalley
But marriages are usually made up of two people, whereas I feel as though I am married to three different women. One, of course, is my wife, the woman I legally decided to marry, on purpose. The second is my wife’s best friend, who is forever in our house. Her presence usually involves a few jokes at my expense, but also one or two bizarre compliments, about how I look tall today, how I look like I got dressed in daylight, or a question as to where the various rare animals I killed and sacrificed in order to cast the spell that made my wife fall in love with me are buried. Then there’s the third woman, the one that I see when we’ve all had a bit to drink and my wife’s friend has elevated the level of her insults and my wife is laughing at them and whispering with her best friend right in front of me. The third woman is completely detached from the person that I recited my vows to.
The set up of this book is relatively straightforward – a triangle of three people: wife, husband (both unnamed but a very well off London-based Nigerian-descended couple) and (the also well-off, London based Nigerian) wife’s best friend Temi, with the added complication of Temi being extremely close to the husband’s sister who is married to Temi’s brother.
Temi and the husband hate each other: Temi because she still cannot believe that her best friend (the wife) has effectively betrayed what she thought was a life long pledge to reject the domestic dreams of their parents and to live an independent life (BMFM – by myself and for myself) and instead stay as the closest of close friends; she seems to believe – or at least hope - that the whole marriage is a prank by her friend which got out of hand. The husband for the (at least to me entirely understandable) reason that Temi’s presence in their household is close to stalker like and seems based around systematically undermining his marriage – albeit its also clear that he has some fairly conventional and traditional expectations of the marriage and his and his wife’s roles in it.
The novel takes place over a single day. Temi who, as is her wont, comes over for a day of drinking and marriage wrecking is horrified to find that the husband and wife have been trying (for all of a) month or so to have a child so far unsuccessfully; the husband comes back part way through a stressful workday and resents Temi’s presence and both try to influence the wife in their favour.
It is written in three first party sections, with the wife, then the husband and then Temi taking turns to take over the narrative of the events of the day, while also looking back over incidents in the past (often with different perspectives on the same events).
I did not think that the structure quite worked: for me both the husband and Temi had a pretty clear agenda and their sections serve largely to reinforce the impression we have of them from the other narrators. The more complex motivation is that of the wife, however with her section coming first we do not really get to the bottom of how she has permitted the situation to arise or how she feels when Temi and her husband try to engineer a crisis and so force her to a choice between them (both taking it largely for granted that she would chose them).
In a book with unreliable (or at least slightly self-deluded) narrators I felt I needed someone with a more reasonable (or even just believable) behaviour, as well as someone I could sympathise with – and in the absence of that in any of the three narrators I felt my investment in the novel rather unmoored.
Overall I think this is a book which might appeal to fans of “My Sister the Serial Killer” – but which was not for me.
He sees what I see, but from the other side. A woman in between two selves, undecided as to which she can remain loyal. Where I see uncomfortable levels of domesticity and submission, he sees impolite outspokenness and levels of negative emotion rarely observed. What he thinks is a new person emerging in short and sometimes alcohol-fuelled bursts, I know is the occasional reappearance of my misguided friend. We are trying to solve the same problem, but our judgements on the solution differ significantly.
My thanks to Random House, UK for an ARC via NetGalley
April 4, 2024
“[…] pictured us content, rather than happy, because in reality, happiness is an unachievable concept designed to keep people unhappy and spending money on things they don’t need.”
I don’t even know what to say.
This is about a husband and a wife and the wife’s best friend that refuses to understand boundaries and that she's not a part of that marriage.
What a strange story! I’m also confused about the abrupt ending. Things were finally going somewhere.
I don’t even know what to say.
This is about a husband and a wife and the wife’s best friend that refuses to understand boundaries and that she's not a part of that marriage.
What a strange story! I’m also confused about the abrupt ending. Things were finally going somewhere.
November 27, 2023
Finished this book weeks ago and I am still shaking my head wondering "a weh mi just read"
The book is told over the course of one day, we meet three people- a husband, his wife and her best friend. The best friend detest the husband and there continues to be a lot of undercurrent between them. When they are in the same space, there is almost always a blow out that is going to happen.
From each perspective we get an idea of what they think about each other and why there don't like each other. However, I feel of the POV, the wife's one seems weakest. The cliffhanger at the end was insane!!!!!
I will say, I will absolutely read what she writes next.
The book is told over the course of one day, we meet three people- a husband, his wife and her best friend. The best friend detest the husband and there continues to be a lot of undercurrent between them. When they are in the same space, there is almost always a blow out that is going to happen.
From each perspective we get an idea of what they think about each other and why there don't like each other. However, I feel of the POV, the wife's one seems weakest. The cliffhanger at the end was insane!!!!!
I will say, I will absolutely read what she writes next.
February 28, 2023
My expectations were satisfied from this book. I really enjoyed the simplicity of the premise but the unique way that it was executed. How my perception of each character was more warped as the book progressed and you gained more of an insight into each personality.
I think some more character depth would have gone a long way - perhaps another 50 pages? I needed to see that ending explored!
I think some more character depth would have gone a long way - perhaps another 50 pages? I needed to see that ending explored!
October 15, 2023
This was a short debut novel that was written during lockdown. It tracks 3 wealthy, well-educated Britons of Nigerian descent – a married couple and the wife’s manipulative best friend – over the course of a single day.
The result of that alcohol-fueled day is more discomforting than amusing.
Each of the 3 characters takes a turn sharing their perspective, beginning with the pretty unnamed wife, who doesn’t work or do much, but exercise and get soused with her disruptive best friend from childhood who her husband dislikes.
Temi, the only named character, shows up regularly to the couple’s nice home, in a gated community. She routinely overstays her welcome and baits, insults and enrages the mild-mannered husband, which the wife finds amusing.
What’s with Temi anyway?
Well…
It isn’t until the 3rd half of the novel that readers hear her voice.
But…
By the time her reveal comes, readers are already on to her. There is a selfishness about her that expects total allegiance to her.
Men?
Were they ever part of her plan?
So…
What does the wife do about Temi?
Will she save her marriage, despite her?
It is hard to like a book when the characters are so unapologetically unlikable. Manipulative and controlling. And/or even allow themselves to be (manipulated and controlled), as in the case of the wife.
And…
Of course, the booze doesn’t help.
This might make for an interesting stage play…
But…
Even then…
I’m not sure I’d attend.
The result of that alcohol-fueled day is more discomforting than amusing.
Each of the 3 characters takes a turn sharing their perspective, beginning with the pretty unnamed wife, who doesn’t work or do much, but exercise and get soused with her disruptive best friend from childhood who her husband dislikes.
Temi, the only named character, shows up regularly to the couple’s nice home, in a gated community. She routinely overstays her welcome and baits, insults and enrages the mild-mannered husband, which the wife finds amusing.
What’s with Temi anyway?
Well…
It isn’t until the 3rd half of the novel that readers hear her voice.
But…
By the time her reveal comes, readers are already on to her. There is a selfishness about her that expects total allegiance to her.
Men?
Were they ever part of her plan?
So…
What does the wife do about Temi?
Will she save her marriage, despite her?
It is hard to like a book when the characters are so unapologetically unlikable. Manipulative and controlling. And/or even allow themselves to be (manipulated and controlled), as in the case of the wife.
And…
Of course, the booze doesn’t help.
This might make for an interesting stage play…
But…
Even then…
I’m not sure I’d attend.
April 26, 2025
"Temi said that men were not part of her plan. They are too weak to survive the inevitable apocalypse."
I LOVED this book. It was so smart, and so hilarious. Such a claustrophobic character study into a very messy friendship and marriage. It feels like watching a car crash over and over again. Also adored the Nigerian representation, extremely relatable.
I LOVED this book. It was so smart, and so hilarious. Such a claustrophobic character study into a very messy friendship and marriage. It feels like watching a car crash over and over again. Also adored the Nigerian representation, extremely relatable.
December 24, 2022
There's a lot of potential in this book set in a single day from three perspectives about a woman and the growing tension between her husband and her best friend, who hate each other. I will be curious to read another novel by Agbaje-Williams, even if this one didn't live up to everything I wished it could.
Make this shorter and it could be a good short story. As a novel there's not quite enough substance, and the concept is good but not at this length. It can get rather repetitive, and could use some streamlining. Otherwise the main issue is that you have no affection for any of these characters. These three characters, with their grudges and secrets, are an interesting combination but to sustain the reader there needs to be something we're rooting for and here I never found it. As each point of view shifted, I liked the characters less. There was no event I was waiting for, no outcome I wanted.
The formatting in my early copy had hardly any paragraph breaks, with no breaks between dialogue either, which I know some readers avoid.
Make this shorter and it could be a good short story. As a novel there's not quite enough substance, and the concept is good but not at this length. It can get rather repetitive, and could use some streamlining. Otherwise the main issue is that you have no affection for any of these characters. These three characters, with their grudges and secrets, are an interesting combination but to sustain the reader there needs to be something we're rooting for and here I never found it. As each point of view shifted, I liked the characters less. There was no event I was waiting for, no outcome I wanted.
The formatting in my early copy had hardly any paragraph breaks, with no breaks between dialogue either, which I know some readers avoid.
June 23, 2023
A short book with a punch that read like a dialogue/conversation! I liked the Nigerian rep and related a lot to African families and their expectations, especially within culture and marriage. I honestly have so many people I know in my life who are “the three of us” — this exact set up. When someone feels like they married their spouse + their best friend at the same time. It’s definitely a thought provoking read overall with NOT lovable characters. I enjoyed reading their three very different POVs.
I thought the drinking factor was interesting and maybe they should all tone themselves down with it, tbh. But I guess, the point 😂
I thought the drinking factor was interesting and maybe they should all tone themselves down with it, tbh. But I guess, the point 😂
March 17, 2025
This book. Ugh. If anyone ever has a "friend" like Temi, you need to sever ties asap.
It's a short book, so that's all I will say. Anything else will result in an unfair spoiler.
It's a short book, so that's all I will say. Anything else will result in an unfair spoiler.
May 10, 2023
Taking place over the course of a single day, The Three of Us is told in three sections: The Wife, The Husband, and The Best Friend. At the beginning of the book, the best friend, Temi (the only character who is named) comes over to spend the day with the wife, drinking wine and snacking as is their custom. The husband and Temi do not get along, often leaving the wife torn between the two most important people in her life. When the husband comes home early from work, he and Temi begin competing for the wife's favor in an escalating series of tense exchanges.
There are things Ore Agbaje-Williams does well in The Three of Us, and there are areas where I found the book lacking. This is a sharp, biting, incisive exploration of our closest relationships -- an examination of how we fill different roles for different people, and how others see us vs. how we see ourselves. The structure of three narrators allows that to happen organically in the narrative, and it was fascinating to read the most intimate thoughts of all three protagonists. The wife, the husband, and Temi are all wealthy Nigerians living in London, and Agbaje-Williams explores in intriguing ways how their upbringings and heritage have influenced who and where they are in their lives.
But after a shocking allegation is raised in the final scene, the book ends abruptly, and it left me wanting. I typically don't mind an ambiguous ending, but in this instance I felt a fourth section, narrated again by the wife, would have drastically improved the entire reading experience. Temi and the husband are nuanced characters with strong personalities, but their motives are crystal clear. The wife, on the other hand, is a quieter character, and her motives are murkier. Since she opens the novel, we don't get to see any of her inner thoughts about the ensuing events, and I think the book would have benefited from that greatly.
Although this is a short novel, it requires a close read -- not only because Agbaje-Williams does some complex character work, but also because no quotations are used and multiple characters are often speaking within the same paragraph. I did find The Three of Us to be an engaging read -- although the characters aren't particularly sympathetic, I was invested in how everything would play out -- but I wish Agbaje-Williams gave us just a little more. Thank you to G.P. Putnam's Sons and NetGalley for the advance reading opportunity.
There are things Ore Agbaje-Williams does well in The Three of Us, and there are areas where I found the book lacking. This is a sharp, biting, incisive exploration of our closest relationships -- an examination of how we fill different roles for different people, and how others see us vs. how we see ourselves. The structure of three narrators allows that to happen organically in the narrative, and it was fascinating to read the most intimate thoughts of all three protagonists. The wife, the husband, and Temi are all wealthy Nigerians living in London, and Agbaje-Williams explores in intriguing ways how their upbringings and heritage have influenced who and where they are in their lives.
But after a shocking allegation is raised in the final scene, the book ends abruptly, and it left me wanting. I typically don't mind an ambiguous ending, but in this instance I felt a fourth section, narrated again by the wife, would have drastically improved the entire reading experience. Temi and the husband are nuanced characters with strong personalities, but their motives are crystal clear. The wife, on the other hand, is a quieter character, and her motives are murkier. Since she opens the novel, we don't get to see any of her inner thoughts about the ensuing events, and I think the book would have benefited from that greatly.
Although this is a short novel, it requires a close read -- not only because Agbaje-Williams does some complex character work, but also because no quotations are used and multiple characters are often speaking within the same paragraph. I did find The Three of Us to be an engaging read -- although the characters aren't particularly sympathetic, I was invested in how everything would play out -- but I wish Agbaje-Williams gave us just a little more. Thank you to G.P. Putnam's Sons and NetGalley for the advance reading opportunity.
May 11, 2023
The Three of Us is an intense unique story which takes place in one day. Its premise is two best friends since childhood whose culture says women are perhaps less than men, and one of them gets married, one still single and she clearly does not understand why her friend got married. Especially to the man she did which starts a tug of war for the attention of the married woman. You would think this is childish, but this game which has been played for years has finally caused the husband to finally tell them what he feels.
The only name used is Temi, the friend of the married couple. Temi, who seems to resent the marriage and the husband who she antagonizes every chance she gets, and hurtfully, the wife always siding with Temi and treats her husband like a joke when he is around. And he says nothing out of respect for their friendship.
So, one day, Temi arrives at the home of the married couple to visit her friend who doesn’t work, and they begin the day as usual, drinking, eating and gossiping and reminiscing. Temi of course continually giving her husband digs. What makes this uncomfortable to the reader is that it seems the wife enjoys the jabs and laughs with Temi.
They talk about their history, how the two women met and how the couple met, which also includes Temi’s immediate dislike of the husband. The relationship between Temi and the husband has never been good, but in the past three years of marriage it seems to have deteriorated even more.
When the husband calls his wife to tell her he’s coming home from work early, he realizes Temi is there. He tries to explain to his wife his feelings about the situation which she seems to laugh off. Upon his arrival the husband and wife argue as Temi has gone out for more alcohol. But when the husband finds out his wife has been telling Temi very private information about their life, he realizes he just cannot do this anymore. Something must give in this dysfunctional relationship.
The Three of Us looks at how close relationships change or should change when there is a shift or new addition of another person. All parties should do their best to compensate for the extra person and respect the feelings and the choices the friend makes, although that perhaps may not include the other friend. But unfortunately, when one friend is too selfish and narcissistic to see the needs of the others and one friend cannot bear to stand up for their husband, it is a no-win situation. Then what do they do?
Thank you #NetGalley #Penguin/RandomHouse #OreAbaje-Williams #TheThreeofUs for the advanced copy.
The only name used is Temi, the friend of the married couple. Temi, who seems to resent the marriage and the husband who she antagonizes every chance she gets, and hurtfully, the wife always siding with Temi and treats her husband like a joke when he is around. And he says nothing out of respect for their friendship.
So, one day, Temi arrives at the home of the married couple to visit her friend who doesn’t work, and they begin the day as usual, drinking, eating and gossiping and reminiscing. Temi of course continually giving her husband digs. What makes this uncomfortable to the reader is that it seems the wife enjoys the jabs and laughs with Temi.
They talk about their history, how the two women met and how the couple met, which also includes Temi’s immediate dislike of the husband. The relationship between Temi and the husband has never been good, but in the past three years of marriage it seems to have deteriorated even more.
When the husband calls his wife to tell her he’s coming home from work early, he realizes Temi is there. He tries to explain to his wife his feelings about the situation which she seems to laugh off. Upon his arrival the husband and wife argue as Temi has gone out for more alcohol. But when the husband finds out his wife has been telling Temi very private information about their life, he realizes he just cannot do this anymore. Something must give in this dysfunctional relationship.
The Three of Us looks at how close relationships change or should change when there is a shift or new addition of another person. All parties should do their best to compensate for the extra person and respect the feelings and the choices the friend makes, although that perhaps may not include the other friend. But unfortunately, when one friend is too selfish and narcissistic to see the needs of the others and one friend cannot bear to stand up for their husband, it is a no-win situation. Then what do they do?
Thank you #NetGalley #Penguin/RandomHouse #OreAbaje-Williams #TheThreeofUs for the advanced copy.
September 26, 2023
Pitched as the story of an explosive day where tensions between a husband and wife and the wife’s best friend come to a head, “The Three of Us” sounded interesting. So interesting, in fact, that I read it right away, despite having hundreds of new books waiting to be read.
But…I didn’t find the book to have an explosive incident. It was more a litany of history and grudges held between these three characters. While the construct of the story could of been brilliant, the theme ended up not centering on the conflict and the consequences of it, but more on the sense that in order to have our own needs met, we’ll stop at nothing, even it it means hurting those we love the most. A theme I found to be sad.
This is a purely character-driven story but not one of the characters were remotely likeable. The first third of the book, narrated by the wife, revealed her to be wishy-washy. She was unable to set boundaries with her friend and also unable to tell her husband what she really wants or needs. She was lazy, too, content to be a trophy wife, and nothing more, and it was hard to decide if she really loved her husband or not. The husband, who was the second narrator, is the character I felt the most sympathy for. He had to deal with the friend’s intrusive and rude behavior without his wife understanding the problem at all. However, it was very obvious he was not getting the life he “paid for.” And finally, the friend, who narrated the final third of the book (creating a big cliffhanger) was more than rude, and almost evil in how she refused to even entertain letting her best friend decide what kind of life she would lead.
Those fascinated by human psyches and relationships might like this story, but I found it to be just ok.
But…I didn’t find the book to have an explosive incident. It was more a litany of history and grudges held between these three characters. While the construct of the story could of been brilliant, the theme ended up not centering on the conflict and the consequences of it, but more on the sense that in order to have our own needs met, we’ll stop at nothing, even it it means hurting those we love the most. A theme I found to be sad.
This is a purely character-driven story but not one of the characters were remotely likeable. The first third of the book, narrated by the wife, revealed her to be wishy-washy. She was unable to set boundaries with her friend and also unable to tell her husband what she really wants or needs. She was lazy, too, content to be a trophy wife, and nothing more, and it was hard to decide if she really loved her husband or not. The husband, who was the second narrator, is the character I felt the most sympathy for. He had to deal with the friend’s intrusive and rude behavior without his wife understanding the problem at all. However, it was very obvious he was not getting the life he “paid for.” And finally, the friend, who narrated the final third of the book (creating a big cliffhanger) was more than rude, and almost evil in how she refused to even entertain letting her best friend decide what kind of life she would lead.
Those fascinated by human psyches and relationships might like this story, but I found it to be just ok.
February 1, 2023
Ore Agbaje-Williams's The Three of Us is explosive not because of the arguments, the betrayals, the passive-aggression, or the enmities; those are all exquisite. But what rocked me was the naked examination of that coveted construct we call innocence: how very few people actually are, especially the ones who believe that's all they can be; 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. And goodness gracious: that ending!
May 9, 2023
This was a great debut #ownvoices psychological domestic drama that focuses on the dynamics of a British-Nigerian couple, their marriage and the woman whose come between them.
Told in three parts from the POV of the husband, his wife and her best friend and great on audio. Dark and twisty and full of raw truths.
A quick read that I really enjoyed and I'll be looking forward to see what this author writes next. Recommended for fans of books like Rootless by Krystle Zara Appiah.
Many thanks to @prhaudio for the complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review!
Told in three parts from the POV of the husband, his wife and her best friend and great on audio. Dark and twisty and full of raw truths.
A quick read that I really enjoyed and I'll be looking forward to see what this author writes next. Recommended for fans of books like Rootless by Krystle Zara Appiah.
Many thanks to @prhaudio for the complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review!
May 18, 2023
this could've been an email, ngl
Thank you to Netgalley, the publishers and the author for the ARC ❤️
Thank you to Netgalley, the publishers and the author for the ARC ❤️
November 3, 2022
Ｂｏｏｋ Ｒｅｖｉｅｗ
𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑻𝒉𝒓𝒆𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝑼𝒔 by Ore Agbaje-Williams
Published: ARC - releasing May 16, 2023
Reviewed by: Mel
Format: eBook ARC
⭐️
Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam for the eBook ARC of The Three of Us by Ore Agbaje-Williams via NetGalley.
There was so much going on in this story without anything much going on at all. The toughest part for me, even though I appreciated that the three sections of the book were the three perspectives of the main characters, was that all three of the characters were detestable in each of their own individual ways. I saw exactly what the author was trying to do, and while her structure worked, the content and character development did not.
Temi, the “friend,” comes off as a complete sociopath that has no regard for human emotions, or respect for others. She is an incredibly selfish person and seems that she is torn between wanting a life of independence and a life similar to that of her friends. Even though this is unspoken, it seems that her actions show complete jealousy, but I can’t tell if it’s jealousy of her friend for having a relationship and someone that cares about her so deeply, or jealousy for the husband because he took away, at least part of, the only real relationship she had in her life.
The husband is incredibly childish, and I absolutely despised the entire section about maliciously deleting Temi’s food order, just to “get back at her.” I also cannot believe that the husband deduced just how much his wife must have been drinking, and still allowed her to drive home. He has some serious maturity issues, and handles his frustration and disappointment in a very temper-tantrum-style way.
The wife is almost the worst of the group because she manipulates both sides and isn’t clear on the type of person she is – she seems to be maliciously giving Temi and her husband what they want to their face, and then back-stabbing them when not around. She seems incredibly lost in her life and unmoored by passion and direction and while emotionally manipulating the friend and the husband, she seems easily manipulated in her actions by the two of them since she doesn’t seem to have a direction.
If the purpose of this novel was to hate all of the characters and have anxiety about the entire situation, it succeeded. It was entertaining from the perspective of writing style and flow – it certainly kept be interested to see what happens….but then, nothing really happened.
It just didn’t work for me.
𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑻𝒉𝒓𝒆𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝑼𝒔 by Ore Agbaje-Williams
Published: ARC - releasing May 16, 2023
Reviewed by: Mel
Format: eBook ARC
⭐️
Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam for the eBook ARC of The Three of Us by Ore Agbaje-Williams via NetGalley.
There was so much going on in this story without anything much going on at all. The toughest part for me, even though I appreciated that the three sections of the book were the three perspectives of the main characters, was that all three of the characters were detestable in each of their own individual ways. I saw exactly what the author was trying to do, and while her structure worked, the content and character development did not.
Temi, the “friend,” comes off as a complete sociopath that has no regard for human emotions, or respect for others. She is an incredibly selfish person and seems that she is torn between wanting a life of independence and a life similar to that of her friends. Even though this is unspoken, it seems that her actions show complete jealousy, but I can’t tell if it’s jealousy of her friend for having a relationship and someone that cares about her so deeply, or jealousy for the husband because he took away, at least part of, the only real relationship she had in her life.
The husband is incredibly childish, and I absolutely despised the entire section about maliciously deleting Temi’s food order, just to “get back at her.” I also cannot believe that the husband deduced just how much his wife must have been drinking, and still allowed her to drive home. He has some serious maturity issues, and handles his frustration and disappointment in a very temper-tantrum-style way.
The wife is almost the worst of the group because she manipulates both sides and isn’t clear on the type of person she is – she seems to be maliciously giving Temi and her husband what they want to their face, and then back-stabbing them when not around. She seems incredibly lost in her life and unmoored by passion and direction and while emotionally manipulating the friend and the husband, she seems easily manipulated in her actions by the two of them since she doesn’t seem to have a direction.
If the purpose of this novel was to hate all of the characters and have anxiety about the entire situation, it succeeded. It was entertaining from the perspective of writing style and flow – it certainly kept be interested to see what happens….but then, nothing really happened.
It just didn’t work for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 29, 2022
Temi and her friend met in grade school, and Temi has been pulling her friend through life ever since, trying to get her friend to be as wild as possible. Temi’s adversary is her friend’s husband, who wants a loving wife and eventual mother to his children. These tensions boil over in this story told in one day.
Interestingly, we never see the friend or her husband named in this book. The book also lacks all speech punctuation. Two strong choices.
Pros: quick, entertaining read. Told from three perspectives, each in a standalone section. The story was so compelling, I read it in one sitting. Each character was fully developed. I got to learn about Nigerian culture.
Cons: not a lot of closure since it’s just one day.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
Interestingly, we never see the friend or her husband named in this book. The book also lacks all speech punctuation. Two strong choices.
Pros: quick, entertaining read. Told from three perspectives, each in a standalone section. The story was so compelling, I read it in one sitting. Each character was fully developed. I got to learn about Nigerian culture.
Cons: not a lot of closure since it’s just one day.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
April 15, 2023
One day in the life of a married couple in London and the wife’s best friend who always seems to be there annoying the husband. Told from three point of views, the wife, the husband, and the friend, Temi. Temi and Wife are long standing friends; Temi thought Wife would never desert her by marrying, especially someone like Husband. The negative feelings are mutual between Husband and Temi. And there is a lot of wine.
This is a quick, short read. I enjoyed Temi’s POV the most. Although irritating, she was quite humorous. There was good insight into the cultural expectations of women and, in particular, Nigerian descended women. The ending was quite abrupt and left me saying, “what?” This is yet another book in which I am seeing an increasing trend of not employing quotation marks.
Thanks to #netgalley and #Penguingroup #putnambooks for the ARC.
February 24, 2023
I won this via the publisher off Instagram, all my opinions are my own.
----
I didn't care for any of the people in here but I was interested in seeing how everything played out. The ending was abrupt and I actually turned back the page to see if I had accidentally skipped ahead.
The uncertainty at the end was a nice touch but (and maybe my misconception) the summary on the back had me expecting.. more ...
It just felt unfinished.
The no quotations didn't bother me but the way it was formatted sometimes I was unsure who was speaking and had to re-read parts at different points.
There was glimmers of good stuff in here and
I would read something else by this author but this one was a miss for me.
----
I didn't care for any of the people in here but I was interested in seeing how everything played out. The ending was abrupt and I actually turned back the page to see if I had accidentally skipped ahead.
The uncertainty at the end was a nice touch but (and maybe my misconception) the summary on the back had me expecting.. more ...
It just felt unfinished.
The no quotations didn't bother me but the way it was formatted sometimes I was unsure who was speaking and had to re-read parts at different points.
There was glimmers of good stuff in here and
I would read something else by this author but this one was a miss for me.
July 2, 2023
What a big fat waste of time. Seriously I was waiting for something to happen, anything really.
Instead the book is about 3 awful, selfish people drinking wine, believing they are better than they are and blaming their shortcomings on others. And with one of those non-endings no less. Boring.
Instead the book is about 3 awful, selfish people drinking wine, believing they are better than they are and blaming their shortcomings on others. And with one of those non-endings no less. Boring.
September 23, 2022
I appreciate this novel for what it is: a question of what makes us ourselves, whether it be a collective past between best friends or a hypothetical future created with a partner. Where does our main character actually exist; who is she, when she’s not playing the referee between her husband and best friend? Overall, I enjoyed the concept of the novel but the delivery was difficult to get through. I found it extremely repetitive, a little boring, but still quite clever.
March 13, 2023
“I expected to live with one woman when I got married. Apparently I live with two”
...
The premise of this book seems straightforward, although I now believe it is anything but. We have a love triangle marriage, with three people in it, the husband and wife who remain unnamed throughout and the wife’s best friend who is called Temi. There are numerous added complications, probably the most pertinent of which right now, being that the husband’s sister is married to Temi’s brother and they have just announced that they are expecting a baby, which is of particular significance because the husband and Temi dislike each other intensely, which together with the fact that the husband and wife are also supposedly trying to start a family of their own, forms the crux of the storyline.
All of our protagonists and their extended families are of Nigerian descent, all wealthy, well educated, high employment achievers and mostly living the dream in London suburbia – complete in some perverse form of psychology, with their white maids. Whether they are financially independent or not, the mothers appear to control the purse strings and order the direction of their households, even down to ensuring that their daughters make good marriages, whilst their sons carry on the family name, thus making their future welfare the main focus.
Temi and the wife have been the best of friends since school, however, with the wife having only sisters as siblings, the pressure on her is not to carry on the family dynasty, but to make the best marriage possible, have a successful career, and procreate. In contrast, Temi has extremely wealthy parents, who both have financially lucrative and respected careers and who also have two sons, both training to be doctors, thus ensuring the good name of the family is upheld. Temi, who is actually very intelligent, is therefore to some extent, left pretty much to her own devices, without having the same pressures placed on her, as her friend, the wife.
Temi is the controlling and driving force in the relationship with her friend, she doesn’t want to settle down, has many partners and has always believed that she and the wife hold the same strong and independent views about women’s rights to independence. The wife, on the other hand, doesn’t work, is totally dependent on her husband, and the constant object of her mother’s derision, vitriolic words and thinly veiled barbs. The husband is certain there is a family history his wife has never opened up to him about, but he isn’t controversial enough to want to dig around and confront any issues, especially as his relationship with his wife is not all plain sailing right now, as he suspects his wish for them to become parents, is more than a little one-sided on his part.
The only thing the husband is definitely prone to showing signs of emotion about, is his hatred of Temi, for the influence he perceives she has over his wife, so when Temi, who has been notable by her absence from his home for the last few weeks, turns up unexpectedly and shows no signs of leaving, he is most displeased. When the two women are together they tend to drink to excess, which loosens tongues, especially as he also takes to the bottle when they gang up on him verbally. Today, whilst the wife popped out, Temi, who has her own key to their house, has been going around the rooms searching through cupboards and she believes she has found irrefutable proof that the wife has been lying to her husband about her desire to become pregnant. She now hopes to break them apart irrevocably, so that she and the wife can live their lives as freely as she believes they should and that this is also what, if she were truly honest with herself, the wife desires deep down.
The entire story begins, develops and might possibly reach a conclusion (although that is very much open to interpretation!), in just a single, hate fuelled day. Tensions have been bubbling away with ever increasing ferocity just below the surface, for some time now, in fact for the entire three years of the husband and wife’s marriage to be exact. Temi has chosen today to bring events to a head, especially when she discovers that the husband is trying to make his wife pregnant and she is not convinced that this is what her friend really wants, so she is out to cause as much mischief as possible, by confronting the husband with what she believes are the true facts of his wife’s duplicity.
...
In some respects, this storyline reminded me of the original 1970s stage play version of Abigail’s Party, for its conversational, monologuing style of presentation, with this relatively short storyline being divided into just three distinct chapters, each narrated solely in the voice of the wife, the husband and finally, Temi herself, depicting their individual perspectives on almost identical events. There are no speech marks and very little paragraphing, so you do need your wits about you to concentrate on each and every word.
There is more going on than meets the eye in this household today and it is all in the multi-layered narrative, which is nicely textured and cleverly nuanced. There are, in fact, one or two moments of dark levity and amusement, in what is otherwise quite a dour and depressing few hours, with an atmosphere which becomes ever more tense and claustrophobic with each passing bottle of alcohol consumed.
A small cast of three characters, none of whom I could relate to, empathise with, or invest in, which I am in no doubt is exactly as the author intended, were completely unreliable, complex and both verbally and emotionally volatile.
The way that Temi and the husband vie for the wife’s attention and affections, is very disconcerting and tantamount to coercion and bullying in its ferocity. Each is almost forcing the wife to take sides and whilst the wife’s true colours possibly show when her friend is around, it might also be the case that she is emboldened by Temi’s overpowering personality, to show emotions and react in a way which she may later regret. It was also open to interpretation whether or not Temi, despite her open promiscuity with men, actually wanted more from the wife than simply friendship, and if in fact, the wife was also being groomed for a different role and was just too blind to see it, unless of course that was always the wife’s secret! In fact, I wasn’t certain that despite her protestations of independence and self-reliance, if it wasn’t Temi who was the most vulnerable and needy individual in this relationship.
For his part, the husband is as weak and boring as dishwater and needs a good kick up the backside. He needs to be much firmer with both women and tell them that when he comes home from work, it is time for Temi to leave. There are also no open conversations between husband and wife, which is putting more strain on their relationship, as neither really knows what the expectations of the other are, both in terms of their marriage, or as two individuals. He clearly works hard to keep her in the style to which she has become accustomed, but beyond that his communication skills seem very limited.
The wife is all sideways glances, smiles and giggles, which are completely meaningless and give neither Temi nor the husband any real idea of what is going on inside her head. It seems as though she is easily led by both of them, which for someone who has a university degree and is by no means silly, indicates to me that she is confused and in a bad place right now, totally open to suggestion. Does she really crave the independence which Temi so clearly wants for her, or would a marriage where there is an equal partnership be what she really yearns for?
With the exception of one short interlude, the entire sequence of events takes place in the home of the husband and wife, which we know is quite lavish and undergoing renovations following one of Temi’s more notorious stunts to outwit the husband. So no journey to take, or scenery to explore, if you like your reading to cater for your ‘armchair traveller’ yearnings. But, Oh! what secrets those four walls know, if only they could talk!
The story was coming together very nicely, with the tension between our three protagonists building to a juicy, bitter and almost certainly acrimonious crescendo. I had started to make my own predictions about the eventual outcome, of which there were several scenarios, none of which were destined to end well – when Bam! I turned the page only to discover the ‘acknowledgements’ section staring me in the face, leaving me to speculate to my hearts content! Some stories can still work without that neatly packaged conclusion, but I really felt that this wasn’t one of them, as there were simply too many versions of the truth and subsequent endgames left floating around in the ether.
As I have often commented, shorter stories are not usually one of my preferred genres unless they meet a strict three part format – A good solid beginning, a strong storyline and a definitive ending. However, recently I have been honoured to have been invited to read a few stellar examples in the realm of short stories / novellas, so I had no hesitation in accepting The Three Of Us for review. However, whilst this was a well written 4* storyline, just two of my own criteria were met, which unfortunately led to a 3* ending. I have rounded this back up to 4* for review site purposes, although for myself, closure on this strangest of days would have made for a more satisfying experience. There are definitely more questions than answers – maybe too many!
...
The premise of this book seems straightforward, although I now believe it is anything but. We have a love triangle marriage, with three people in it, the husband and wife who remain unnamed throughout and the wife’s best friend who is called Temi. There are numerous added complications, probably the most pertinent of which right now, being that the husband’s sister is married to Temi’s brother and they have just announced that they are expecting a baby, which is of particular significance because the husband and Temi dislike each other intensely, which together with the fact that the husband and wife are also supposedly trying to start a family of their own, forms the crux of the storyline.
All of our protagonists and their extended families are of Nigerian descent, all wealthy, well educated, high employment achievers and mostly living the dream in London suburbia – complete in some perverse form of psychology, with their white maids. Whether they are financially independent or not, the mothers appear to control the purse strings and order the direction of their households, even down to ensuring that their daughters make good marriages, whilst their sons carry on the family name, thus making their future welfare the main focus.
Temi and the wife have been the best of friends since school, however, with the wife having only sisters as siblings, the pressure on her is not to carry on the family dynasty, but to make the best marriage possible, have a successful career, and procreate. In contrast, Temi has extremely wealthy parents, who both have financially lucrative and respected careers and who also have two sons, both training to be doctors, thus ensuring the good name of the family is upheld. Temi, who is actually very intelligent, is therefore to some extent, left pretty much to her own devices, without having the same pressures placed on her, as her friend, the wife.
Temi is the controlling and driving force in the relationship with her friend, she doesn’t want to settle down, has many partners and has always believed that she and the wife hold the same strong and independent views about women’s rights to independence. The wife, on the other hand, doesn’t work, is totally dependent on her husband, and the constant object of her mother’s derision, vitriolic words and thinly veiled barbs. The husband is certain there is a family history his wife has never opened up to him about, but he isn’t controversial enough to want to dig around and confront any issues, especially as his relationship with his wife is not all plain sailing right now, as he suspects his wish for them to become parents, is more than a little one-sided on his part.
The only thing the husband is definitely prone to showing signs of emotion about, is his hatred of Temi, for the influence he perceives she has over his wife, so when Temi, who has been notable by her absence from his home for the last few weeks, turns up unexpectedly and shows no signs of leaving, he is most displeased. When the two women are together they tend to drink to excess, which loosens tongues, especially as he also takes to the bottle when they gang up on him verbally. Today, whilst the wife popped out, Temi, who has her own key to their house, has been going around the rooms searching through cupboards and she believes she has found irrefutable proof that the wife has been lying to her husband about her desire to become pregnant. She now hopes to break them apart irrevocably, so that she and the wife can live their lives as freely as she believes they should and that this is also what, if she were truly honest with herself, the wife desires deep down.
The entire story begins, develops and might possibly reach a conclusion (although that is very much open to interpretation!), in just a single, hate fuelled day. Tensions have been bubbling away with ever increasing ferocity just below the surface, for some time now, in fact for the entire three years of the husband and wife’s marriage to be exact. Temi has chosen today to bring events to a head, especially when she discovers that the husband is trying to make his wife pregnant and she is not convinced that this is what her friend really wants, so she is out to cause as much mischief as possible, by confronting the husband with what she believes are the true facts of his wife’s duplicity.
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In some respects, this storyline reminded me of the original 1970s stage play version of Abigail’s Party, for its conversational, monologuing style of presentation, with this relatively short storyline being divided into just three distinct chapters, each narrated solely in the voice of the wife, the husband and finally, Temi herself, depicting their individual perspectives on almost identical events. There are no speech marks and very little paragraphing, so you do need your wits about you to concentrate on each and every word.
There is more going on than meets the eye in this household today and it is all in the multi-layered narrative, which is nicely textured and cleverly nuanced. There are, in fact, one or two moments of dark levity and amusement, in what is otherwise quite a dour and depressing few hours, with an atmosphere which becomes ever more tense and claustrophobic with each passing bottle of alcohol consumed.
A small cast of three characters, none of whom I could relate to, empathise with, or invest in, which I am in no doubt is exactly as the author intended, were completely unreliable, complex and both verbally and emotionally volatile.
The way that Temi and the husband vie for the wife’s attention and affections, is very disconcerting and tantamount to coercion and bullying in its ferocity. Each is almost forcing the wife to take sides and whilst the wife’s true colours possibly show when her friend is around, it might also be the case that she is emboldened by Temi’s overpowering personality, to show emotions and react in a way which she may later regret. It was also open to interpretation whether or not Temi, despite her open promiscuity with men, actually wanted more from the wife than simply friendship, and if in fact, the wife was also being groomed for a different role and was just too blind to see it, unless of course that was always the wife’s secret! In fact, I wasn’t certain that despite her protestations of independence and self-reliance, if it wasn’t Temi who was the most vulnerable and needy individual in this relationship.
For his part, the husband is as weak and boring as dishwater and needs a good kick up the backside. He needs to be much firmer with both women and tell them that when he comes home from work, it is time for Temi to leave. There are also no open conversations between husband and wife, which is putting more strain on their relationship, as neither really knows what the expectations of the other are, both in terms of their marriage, or as two individuals. He clearly works hard to keep her in the style to which she has become accustomed, but beyond that his communication skills seem very limited.
The wife is all sideways glances, smiles and giggles, which are completely meaningless and give neither Temi nor the husband any real idea of what is going on inside her head. It seems as though she is easily led by both of them, which for someone who has a university degree and is by no means silly, indicates to me that she is confused and in a bad place right now, totally open to suggestion. Does she really crave the independence which Temi so clearly wants for her, or would a marriage where there is an equal partnership be what she really yearns for?
With the exception of one short interlude, the entire sequence of events takes place in the home of the husband and wife, which we know is quite lavish and undergoing renovations following one of Temi’s more notorious stunts to outwit the husband. So no journey to take, or scenery to explore, if you like your reading to cater for your ‘armchair traveller’ yearnings. But, Oh! what secrets those four walls know, if only they could talk!
The story was coming together very nicely, with the tension between our three protagonists building to a juicy, bitter and almost certainly acrimonious crescendo. I had started to make my own predictions about the eventual outcome, of which there were several scenarios, none of which were destined to end well – when Bam! I turned the page only to discover the ‘acknowledgements’ section staring me in the face, leaving me to speculate to my hearts content! Some stories can still work without that neatly packaged conclusion, but I really felt that this wasn’t one of them, as there were simply too many versions of the truth and subsequent endgames left floating around in the ether.
As I have often commented, shorter stories are not usually one of my preferred genres unless they meet a strict three part format – A good solid beginning, a strong storyline and a definitive ending. However, recently I have been honoured to have been invited to read a few stellar examples in the realm of short stories / novellas, so I had no hesitation in accepting The Three Of Us for review. However, whilst this was a well written 4* storyline, just two of my own criteria were met, which unfortunately led to a 3* ending. I have rounded this back up to 4* for review site purposes, although for myself, closure on this strangest of days would have made for a more satisfying experience. There are definitely more questions than answers – maybe too many!
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