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A Novel
by Bobby Palmer
For readers of David Nicholls and Sally Rooney comes a new love story that's at once tender and electrifying—told by everyone but the main characters.
When Clara and Seb first cross paths in a London square, it's the start of something exciting. Clara, an aspiring director stuck in an entry-level job, itches to pick up a camera. Seb, having floated between music, modeling, and now acting, struggles to find purpose in his work. Yet as random chance brings the two back together, time and time again, neither could predict that their magnetic connection is set to change their lives.
But everyone else does. The spark between Clara and Seb is exactly what falling in love should look like: exhilarating, passionate, undeniable. The two become a whirlwind, their relationship enthralling everyone they come across. But as the years go on and tensions flair, a last-ditch attempt to save their great romance ends with a gut-wrenching betrayal.
Set over the course of two decades, Clara and Seb's love story is bigger than just themselves. Told from the eyes of their audience—friends and flatmates, rivals and lovers, strangers and confidants—Main Characters is a sweeping portrait of all sides of Clara and Seb. Everyone has their version of events, but only the main characters can decide how it ends.
"Palmer creates a unique structure to tell a decades-long, heart-wrenching love story….The shifting points of view allow the reader to feel at times voyeuristic and at times quite close to Seb and Clara. Readers who enjoyed Sally Rooney's Intermezzo (2024) will love following these characters through their lives as they figure out how to live and to love each other." —Booklist (starred review)
"The unique structure is a standout….A compelling love story that's full of anguish, heartbreak, and passion." —Kirkus Reviews
"A brilliant story that defies the understanding of ordinary people…Palmer's emotionally encapsulating cyclical relationship novel will mend hearts that didn't know were broken." —Library Journal
"Moving, funny, wise and beautifully written. This novel held me from beginning to end. The press release says, 'you've never read a love story like this one' … and you truly haven't. It is unique and so, so clever. I love the idea of people's lives crossing over, the impressions we get from what we see and hear. I was so invested in the characters. I laughed out loud so many times. A couple of chapters made me sob – I was so distraught, but it's all part of the process. If you love a smart, poignant, funny, gripping book, you will love this. I cannot recommend it enough." ―Joanna Cannon, author of A Tidy Ending
"An epic love story that's innovative and clever but with all the humor, character detail and heart wrenching emotional moments we have come to expect from Bobby Palmer's writing. Wonderful." ―Kate Sawyer, author of Getting Away
"Gorgeous, clever, utterly addictive. A fresh take on the British romcom." ―Pandora Sykes, author of How Do We Know We're Doing It Right?
This information about Main Characters was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Bobby Palmer is an author and journalist, whose novels Isaac and the Egg and Small Hours have been published to much acclaim in the United Kingdom. He co-hosts the podcast Book Chat and his writing has appeared in GQ, Esquire, Men's Health, Cosmopolitan, and more. He lives with his family in Sussex, England.
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