About the Book
Some love stories are bigger than just two people. This one is told by friends, flatmates, exes and strangers - everybody but the main characters.'A fresh and original take on the telling of a love story - but somehow timeless' CLAIRE DAVERLEY, author of Talking at Night'If you love a smart, poignant, funny, gripping book, you will love this' JOANNA CANNON ---Clara and Seb are about to fall in love. They don't know it yet. But everybody else does. When Clara and Seb meet in a quiet corner of London, it's the start of something. She wants to be a director. He's an actor, unsure what he wants from life. Their connection is magnetic. Everyone can see that falling in love looks something like this. But when Clara casts Seb in the film that will make her name, what should be the happiest time of their lives ends with a gut-wrenching betrayal. Some love stories are bigger than just two people. This one is told through the eyes of friends, flatmates, exes and strangers who see all the sides of Seb and Clara, from their first date to the moment they fell apart. Everyone has their version of events. But only Clara and Seb can decide how their story ends... ---Readers everywhere are talking about Main Characters, the highly anticipated novel about love, friendship, dysfunctional families and life-changing connections.'I laughed, I teared up, I couldn't put it down. This is a love story like no other' 'This book gave me genuine joy and broke my heart' 'For fans of Heartburn, David Nicholls, Sally Rooney' 'A beautifully written, emotionally rich story that surprised me in the best way' 'These characters live in your head long after you've closed the book' 'Recommended for people watchers' 'So much more than it first appears. The characters are incredibly lifelike and layered' 'I truly felt like I was in the story' PRAISE FOR MAIN CHARACTERS 'Gorgeous, clever, utterly addictive' PANDORA SYKES 'Moving, funny, wise and beautifully written. 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. If you love a smart, poignant, funny, gripping book, you will love this. I cannot recommend it enough' JOANNA CANNON'Cinematic and swoon-worthy (but not without its gut punches), this felt like a Nora Ephron movie... a fresh and original take on the telling of a love story - but somehow timeless' CLAIRE DAVERLEY'If you love clever literary fiction, you will love this novel. If you love immersive commercial fiction
About the Author :
Bobby Palmer is both an author and journalist. His critically acclaimed debut novel, Isaac and the Egg, was a Waterstones Paperback of the Year in 2022; his second novel Small Hours was published in 2024. Bobby co-hosted the podcast Book Chat with Pandora Sykes and his writing has appeared in GQ, Esquire, Men's Health, Cosmopolitan amongst others. He lives with his family in Sussex.
Review :
Gorgeous, clever, utterly addictive. A fresh take on the British romcom
An epic love story that's innovative and clever but with all the humour, character detail and heart-wrenching emotional moments we have come to expect from Bobby Palmer's writing. Wonderful
If you love clever literary fiction, you will love this novel. If you love immersive commercial fiction, you will love this novel. If you love rom coms and a portrayal of London that feels like a Richard Curtis movie, you will love this novel
The perfect book for anyone who's ever sat opposite a mysterious stranger on a train and wondered what's really going on behind those eyes. A charming, romantic meditation on the chaos of falling in (and out of) love
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
Main Characters is a true feat of imagination - a love story built from absence, told entirely through the voices of those orbiting its central couple. Every perspective is gripping, immediate, and utterly alive, forging a surprising and intense intimacy with Seb and Clara, even as we only meet them refracted through others' eyes. Bobby Palmer has the rare talent of making us fall in love, and this might be his greatest achievement yet
Cinematic and swoon-worthy (but not without its gut punches), this felt like a Nora Ephron movie colliding with a flipbook of characters on the page. It's such a fresh and original take on the telling of a love story - but somehow timeless, too, in the way of classic movies
