By Nick Laird
256 pages; Viking

"A friendship, too, is a kind of romance"—complete with possessiveness, jealousy, and mistrust—in Nick Laird's satirical second novel, Glover's Mistake. David Pinner, a paunchy academic on the fringes of London's art scene, reconnects with his idol and former teacher, Ruth Marks, a celebrated American feminist artist. When she falls for David's roommate, Glover, a hunky pure-minded barman, David's darkest impulses come into play. What takes this tale beyond the perils of triangulation is Laird's savvy portrayal of the cultural elite, and his insights into the deft deceptions of love.

— Cathleen Medwick