Hal Ebbott – författare

‘A hard diamond of a novel . . . I have not stopped thinking of it since’ – Coco Mellors‘Every sentence keeps you hanging in the air, waiting for the next punch to the gut’ – Miranda Cowley Heller‘Packs a huge emotional punch. I couldn’t put it down’ – Daily Mail‘A living thing . . . A huge achievement’ – Financial TimesPerfect lives hide terrible secretsHaving emerged from a childhood of poverty and neglect, Amos now has a life that others envy: a brilliant wife, a golden daughter, and a friendship that has anchored him for thirty years. All of that is set to change. In the course of one fateful weekend in a beautiful house upstate, Amos’s life will be undone by a shocking act of violence.In its aftermath, Amos must ask: when your world collapses, what - and who - will you sacrifice to survive?‘Bracingly honest and affectingly intimate . . . Upends its characters’ lives so ruthlessly and revealingly that it is hard not to take pleasure in a false facade being finally smashed’ – The Guardian‘Masterly’ – John Banville

NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE NEW YORKER AND THE ECONOMISTNAMED A FAVORITE FICTION READ OF THE YEAR BY NPR“Stylish and assured….Ebbott’s prose is honed and aphoristic, recalling the work of James Salter and John Cheever…The sentences go down easy...but there is substance beneath the gleaming surfaces.” —Washington Post“Acutely perceptive and beautifully written…A living thing...A huge achievement.” —The Financial Times"Finely calibrated...[A]s discerning as it is pitiless." —The New YorkerWhat begins as celebration gives way to betrayal, shattering the trust between two familiesIt’s an autumn weekend at a comfortable New York country house where two deeply intertwined families have gathered to mark the host’s fifty-second birthday.Together, the group forms an enviable portrait of middle age. The wives and husbands have been friends for over thirty years, their teenage daughters have grown up together, and the dinners, games, and rituals forming their days all reflect the rich bonds between them.This weekend, however, something is different. An unforeseen curdling of envy and resentment will erupt in an unspeakable act, the aftermath of which exposes treacherous fault lines upon which they have long dwelt.Written with hypnotic elegance and molten precision, and announcing the arrival of a major literary talent, Hal Ebbott’s Among Friends examines betrayal within the sanctuary of a defining relationship, as well as themes of class, marriage, friendship, power, and the things we tell ourselves to preserve our finely made worlds.

A perfect world. But a betrayal that could shatter everything.'Every sentence keeps you hanging in the air, waiting for the next punch to the gut' - Miranda Cowley Heller, author of The Paper Palace'A hard diamond of a novel . . . I have not stopped thinking of it since' - Coco Mellors, author of Blue Sisters For thirty years, Amos and Emerson have built a life others envy. Their wives are close, their teenage daughters have grown up together, their days are passed in the comfortable languor of New York City wealth. Their bond seems unbreakable.This weekend, however, something is different. After gathering for Emerson’s birthday at his country home, celebration gives way to old rivalries and resentments. When tensions erupt, their finely made world is ruptured in one shocking act of violence.In its wake, each must ask: when your world collapses, what — and who — will you sacrifice to survive?Hal Ebbott’s Among Friends is a razor-sharp look at the dark side of American wealth, the brittle foundations of friendship, and the desperate lengths we go to to keep our secrets hidden.‘Bracingly honest and affectingly intimate’ – The Guardian'Assured, acutely perceptive and beautifully written’ – Financial Times'Packs a huge emotional punch. I couldn’t put it down' – Daily Mail‘I’m already begging my friends to read it so we can discuss the ending’ – ELLE'Like a cold gin and tonic on a hot day' – The Washington Post

Who would you choose to believe? Amos and Emerson have been friends for thirty years. Despite coming from vastly different backgrounds, the two men now form an enviable portrait of middle age: their wives are friends, their teenage daughters have grown up together, their days are passed in the comfortable languor of New York City wealth. They share an unbreakable bond, or so they think.Now, it is Emerson’s birthday, and Amos and his family are heading upstate to celebrate in Emerson’s beautiful home. Over the course of the weekend, rivalries emerge and tensions escalate, until a final shocking act of violence threatens to tear the two families’ finely made world apart.In its wake, each of them must choose: between whom and what they love most.

‘A hard diamond of a novel . . . I have not stopped thinking of it since’ – Coco Mellors‘Every sentence keeps you hanging in the air, waiting for the next punch to the gut’ – Miranda Cowley Heller‘Packs a huge emotional punch. I couldn’t put it down’ – Daily Mail‘A living thing . . . A huge achievement’ – Financial TimesPerfect lives hide terrible secretsHaving emerged from a childhood of poverty and neglect, Amos now has a life that others envy: a brilliant wife, a golden daughter, and a friendship that has anchored him for thirty years. All of that is set to change. In the course of one fateful weekend in a beautiful house upstate, Amos’s life will be undone by a shocking act of violence.In its aftermath, Amos must ask: when your world collapses, what - and who - will you sacrifice to survive?‘Bracingly honest and affectingly intimate . . . Upends its characters’ lives so ruthlessly and revealingly that it is hard not to take pleasure in a false facade being finally smashed’ – The Guardian‘Masterly’ – John Banville

»Außergewöhnlich kunstvoll.« John IrvingAmos und Emerson kennen sich seit mehr als dreißig Jahren. Trotz ihrer völlig unterschiedlichen Herkunft haben sie es beide zu einigem Wohlstand gebracht und führen ein Leben, wie sie es sich einst gewünscht haben: Ihre Ehefrauen sind eng befreundet, ihre jugendlichen Töchter zusammen aufgewachsen, ihre Tage strahlen die behagliche Lässigkeit eines New Yorker Großstadtlebens aus. Ihre Freundschaft kann nichts erschüttern – das glauben sie zumindest.An diesem Wochenende in Emersons Landhaus jedoch spürt jeder: etwas ist anders. Emerson wird 52, und das soll gefeiert werden. Am Abend werden jahrzehntealte Rivalitäten und Ressentiments spürbar, die in einem schockierenden Akt der Gewalt gipfeln – einer Tat, die die sorgfältig aufgebaute Welt der befreundeten Familien zu zerstören droht.Und nun steht jeder von ihnen vor einer Entscheidung: zwischen dem, was und wen er am meisten schützen will. »So wie eine kraftvolle Intelligenz, eine mitreißende Stimme oder eine frische Perspektive unsere Wahrnehmung und Reaktion auf die Welt verändern kann, hat mich Unter Freunden in seine kühle Umgebung hineingezogen und dazu gebracht, meine eignen Tage anders zu betrachten. Keine geringe Leistung für einen Debütroman – oder für irgendeinen Roman.« Richard Ford