Trio

Set against the tumultuous backdrop of 1968, William Boyd's "Trio" plunges readers into the lives of three disparate individuals entangled in the making of a kitschy film in sun-drenched Brighton. As the world grapples with political upheaval – the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy, riots in Paris, and the escalating Vietnam War – producer Talbot, novelist Elfrida, and actress Anny each navigate their own complex and increasingly perilous secret lives. Elfrida, battling severe writer's block, seeks solace in the bottom of a vodka bottle, while the seemingly unflappable Talbot conceals a mysterious apartment and its contents. Meanwhile, the glamorous Anny finds herself inexplicably under the watchful eye of the CIA, adding a layer of international intrigue to her already complicated existence. As the film production progresses, the trio's private worlds, rife with infidelity, hidden agendas, and psychological turmoil, begin to aggressively bleed into their public personas. The relentless pressures mount, promising an inevitable breakdown for one or all, in this exhilarating and tender exploration of what truly makes life worth living, and the desperate measures taken when it seems to fall apart.