Published 2nd July 2026 by Headline.
From the cover of the book:
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...
***********
Seb and Clara meet one afternoon in Golden Square, London. There is an instant connection between the aspiring actor and upcoming film-maker, but although it is clear to everyone looking on that they will fall in love, their relationship only begins after a false start or two.
In time, the attraction grows into a deep, passionate partnership that promises a lifetime of happiness, but when Clara casts Seb in the production that cements her reputation as a director, a devastating betrayal shatters their relationship...
Bobby Palmer's latest novel is his most intriguing yet. This is a love story like no other I have read before, following the course of Seb and Clara's relationship through the years, but told entirely from the perspectives of a number of onlookers, never from the points of view of the actual couple. The observations of friends, family, flatmates, neighbours, exes, and even total strangers they meet in passing, paint a picture of a love story that buds, grows, and disintegrates, which makes this a very unconventional novel.
I have to confess that (along with many of the people who have read this one) this was not an instant hit with me - in fact, I debated more than once confining it to the DNF pile and having done with it. Although the format is genuinely clever, I struggled with Seb and Clara in the first part of the novel, as they are immature, pretentious, and utterly infuriating! But something kept me reading, and I am very glad that I persevered.
This is one of those books where you really do have to trust the process, because once the observations of the lookers-on start to fill in pieces of the Seb-Clara puzzle, something completely unexpected happens. After a while, I found I could not look away, and was completely entranced for the rest of the story - even if it has to be said that Seb and Clara continue to be a couple who would benefit from the occasional sharp rap on the noggin!
The magic comes from the weaving together of many voices, in a way that gives you a startlingly insightful view of Seb and Clara's relationship, particularly the moments where the people who really care about them describe pivotal conversations provoked by heightened emotions. There is a 'more than the sum of its parts' quality to the story, which builds beautifully to explore love, loss, friendship, family, ambition, desire, and the weight of things both said and unsaid. It is all incredibly messy and complicated, just like real life, and I laughed and cried with so many of the characters, not just Seb and Clara.
This is Palmer's most ambitious novel so far - quirky in its make-up, quiet and loud, tender and traumatic, and all-consuming by stealth... once you make it past the tricky beginning. The story comes elegantly full-circle, and I especially enjoyed the contributions made by the young members of the literary throng of voices, whose poignant innocence made me sob. Come for the main characters, but stay for the full-cast.
Palmer continues to surprise me. I cannot wait to see what comes next!
Main Characters is available to buy now in hardcover, ebook and audio formats.
Thank you to Headline for sending me a proof of this book.
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.
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