First published 2010
Julian Treslove works at the BBC without distinction or success. His old school friend Sam Finkler has become a famous Jewish philosopher and television figure. Both men stay connected to their former teacher Libor Sevcik, a Czech who cared more about world affairs than grades. Finkler and Libor have both lost their wives recently. Treslove's romantic failures make him feel like a third widower among them. The three men gather for dinner at Libor's London apartment. They share memories of earlier times, before love and loss shaped their lives. Treslove weeps for his friends' grief. Walking home at 11:30 that night, he pauses outside an old violin dealer's window. Someone attacks him there. This violent encounter will reshape how Treslove sees himself completely. The assault forces him to question his place in the world and his relationship to his Jewish friends' experiences.
Genres: fiction, literary-fiction, 21st-century, academic
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: London
Period: 21st-century
307 pages · Hardcover · Bloomsbury