A Common Loss
A Novel
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- $18.99
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- $18.99
Publisher Description
A WASHINGTON SQUARE PRESS P APERBACK ORIGINAL THEY WERE ORIGINALLY FIVE.
Elliot. Brian. Tallis. Cameron. And Dylan—charismatic Dylan—the mediator, the man each one turned to in a time of crisis. Five close friends, bonded in college, still coming together for their annual trip to Las Vegas. This year they are four. Four friends, sharing a common loss: Dylan’s tragic death. A common loss that, upon their arrival in Vegas, will bring with it a common threat: one that will make them question who their departed friend really was, and whether he was ever worthy of their grief.
“Brimming with blackmail and deception” and “laced with simmering emotional tension” (Australian Bookseller & Publisher), A Common Loss is a hypnotic tale from an exciting new voice in literary fiction.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A group of five male college friends meeting every year in Las Vegas to reconnect and reaffirm ties hasn't kept them from growing apart. When, 10 years after graduation, one of the men, Dylan, dies in a tragic accident, the remaining four Elliot (who narrates), Cameron, Tallis, and Brian decide to keep up the ritual get-together for the upcoming year and cope with Dylan's death. What they don't expect is to discover that Dylan, who was the one who loved doing favors and getting them all out of difficult situations, had kept a dossier listing their misdeeds and indiscretions, including rape and plagiarism, and what he had done to help. The friends expected Dylan would take their secrets to his grave, but instead, he entrusted them to his younger brother, Colin, who plans to use the information to his own advantage. While the four men try to come to terms with Dylan's actions and the consequence of their own behavior, Brian wins $430,000 at the roulette tables, perfect timing to buy off Colin. But while the four return to their lives, they are forever altered. Tranter's (The Legacy) setup is an intimate character study of friendship and deceit set against the American paean to false appearances, but the execution feels flawed. The dark secrets are simple, tawdry things, Colin is a petty villain, and Elliot's introspection isn't deep enough to fully engage readers, who will feel indifferent to the fate of the protagonists.
