by Jonathan Coe
First published 2020
Benjamin Trotter faces a career change in his fifties while his aging father nurses one final political wish: to cast his vote for leaving the European Union. Around them, modern Britain fractures along new lines. A married couple finds their relationship strained by opposing views on their country's direction. A wealthy political commentator pens passionate pieces about government cuts from his comfortable townhouse while his activist daughter pursues her own vision of justice. From the excitement of the 2012 Olympics through the chaos following the Brexit vote, these characters navigate a nation transformed. Coe follows their intersecting lives as economic pressures mount and old certainties crumble. Benjamin struggles with his new path while watching his father's health decline. The newlyweds question whether their marriage can survive their political differences. The commentator's daughter challenges everything he represents. Their stories reveal a country caught between its past and an uncertain future, where personal relationships bend under the weight of national upheaval.
Genres: literary-fiction, contemporary, social-issues, 21st-century, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: family-dynamics, opposing-views
Setting: Britain, Europe, United Kingdom
Period: 2012 Olympics, Brexit
448 pages · Paperback · Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group