'One of Us' is a British political drama based on the Boris Johnson era

Summary

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NPR's Book of the Day – March 12, 2026

"One of Us" by Elizabeth Day: A Political Drama of Class, Power, and Outsidership

Episode Overview

This episode features Elizabeth Day, author of One of Us, a British political drama set in the Boris Johnson era. Host Scott Simon and Day discuss themes of privilege, class, revenge, and the enduring allure of colorful political characters. The conversation explores how elite circles maintain power, the way social class lines manifest in modern Britain, and the complex relationship at the novel’s heart.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Roots of Resentment: Martin and Ben’s Complex Relationship

• [01:12] Introduction of Martin, the protagonist, who carries long-standing resentment after taking the blame for a crime committed by his privileged friend Ben, in exchange for a payoff from Ben’s powerful family.
• [02:29] Martin—a scholarship student from a tough background—fixates on Ben, an aristocratic classmate, when they meet at boarding school.
• The friendship implodes after Martin is cast aside when Ben embarks on a political career, leading Martin to pursue revenge.
• Quote:

  "Martin is still somewhat in love with Ben, but he's never properly admitted it to himself because he struggled with his own identity. And that the idea of revenge, of nurturing it like a pet, it's the closest he can get to having that love reciprocated."
  — Elizabeth Day [03:15]

Class and Outsidership in British Society

• [03:42] Martin is described as the "quintessential outsider"—an astute but bitter observer, forever kept out of the elite’s inner circles due to his class origins.
• The novel interrogates who is permitted into power and who remains on the margins.
• Quote:

  "He's someone who has always wanted to make more of his life. He's wanted to have power, but he's never been allowed into the inner circle because he is not one of them. That's where the title One of Us comes from."
  — Elizabeth Day [03:55]

Redemption and Reinvention: The Character of Richard Tate

• [04:22] Richard Tate, a rival Tory MP ousted in scandal, undergoes a cultural rehabilitation by appearing on a reality TV show.
• The show is humorously titled “Stuff Happens,” about sewage workers, signifying the absurd lengths to which disgraced politicians go to regain public favor.
• The segment highlights the increasing overlap between politics and entertainment.
• Quote:

  "He does that very modern thing that so many failed or disgraced politicians do... He goes on a reality TV show. And that reality TV show re-endears him to members of the public... he does go on a redemptive journey and I end up rather large because he's able to learn from his failures."
  — Elizabeth Day [05:18]

Satire and Modern Politics: From Politician to Podcaster

• [05:50] Simon highlights Day’s satirical portrayal of ex-politicians:

  "Most of the podcasts feature two white men from different sides of the political divide joshing agreeably while analyzing the brokenness of a system they contributed to breaking. That's the formula, isn't it?"
  — Scott Simon, quoting Day [05:53]

• Day acknowledges the line is an intentional commentary on political media clichés:

  "You almost have to write an entire book just to put a line in. And that was my line."
  — Elizabeth Day [06:15]

Changing Faces of Privilege and Power in British Politics

• [06:26] Simon questions if the Conservative Party is still the core of British privilege, given new leadership diversity.

• Day acknowledges that while things are changing, One of Us captures a specific era dominated by class privilege:

  "There was a succession... of Tory leaders who had gone to private school, sailed into Oxbridge, and then went into a career in politics without ever having lived a normal day as an ordinary person. And I felt like there was such a disconnect there... There's something still so embedded, I think, in British culture, where we believe that the people who speak properly and went to the right schools... we sort of trust that they're the experts."
  — Elizabeth Day [07:07]

• She notes positive shifts but urges ongoing vigilance regarding power structures.

The Allure—and Danger—of Entertaining Politicians

• [07:49] Simon and Day discuss the public’s tendency to excuse or be entertained by colorful politicians, a tradition dating back to Shakespeare.

• Day warns that personality and entertainment value can obscure the real risks posed by such figures:

  “We become used to them, and their character seems like qualification enough. When you’re running a country, you also need to have qualifications... the problem is that sometimes the character masks the danger.”
  — Elizabeth Day [08:14]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the nature of revenge and love:

  "The idea of revenge, of nurturing it like a pet, it's the closest he can get to having that love reciprocated."
  — Elizabeth Day [03:16]

• On the resilience of the British class system:

  “There's something still so embedded, I think, in British culture, where we believe that the people who speak properly and went to the right schools and are in some way characters. We sort of trust that they're the experts. And I'm glad to see that that is changing now. But I think that we still need to be wary.”
  — Elizabeth Day [07:15]

• On political entertainment:

  “We become used to them, and their character seems like qualification enough. When you're running a country, you also need to have qualifications. You can't just be the kind of man that you want to share a pint with.”
  — Elizabeth Day [08:09]

• On political podcasts:

  “Most of the podcasts feature two white men from different sides of the political divide joshing agreeably while analyzing the brokenness of a system they contributed to breaking. That's the formula, isn't it?”
  — Scott Simon quoting Day [05:53]

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Important Timestamps

• [01:12] — Introduction of the novel's central incident and class dynamics
• [02:29] — Elizabeth Day describes Martin and Ben’s complicated friendship
• [03:35] — Martin’s acerbic character and resistance to therapy
• [04:22] — Richard Tate’s character arc and commentary on reality TV
• [05:50] — Satire of disgraced politicians-turned-podcasters
• [06:26] — Discussion on privilege within the Conservative Party
• [07:49] — Debate on the public’s fascination with charismatic politicians

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Episode Tone & Style

The conversation is witty, sharp, and insightful, balancing literary analysis with humor and cultural critique. Elizabeth Day’s observations come with self-effacing candor and a satirical edge, especially regarding political scandals and media trends.

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Summary Takeaway

Listeners are offered a rich, entertaining exploration of One of Us—a novel that peers into the machinery of power, the lingering grip of class, and the complex bonds of friendship and rivalry in today’s Britain. Elizabeth Day and Scott Simon deliver a discussion as engaging and trenchant as the politics her novel skewers.

Transcript

[A]

Hey, it's NPR's Book of the Day. I'm Andrew Limbong. There's something fascinating about the way British people treat social class. Not that America doesn't have its own hangups about class, but over on that side of the Atlantic, class lines seem to be more clearly drawn even today. But maybe that's all changing. The novel One of Us is about two friends, or maybe frenemies who come from different class backgrounds. Something happens that leads to long term resentment and, well, I'm not going to spoil the book for you. In this conversation with npr, Scott Simon Author Elizabeth Day talks about power and politics and who gets the privilege of being welcomed into the inner circle in Britain. That's coming up.

[B]

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[C]

history, and he's consumed by a festering resentment. Early in the new novel One of Us, he confesses to the reader that he agreed to take the blame for his best friend Ben had killed a young woman in a drunk driving accident decades ago. Ben is a member of the celebrated Fitzmaurice clan, an upper crust British family, and to secure Ben's future prospects, they gave Martin a substantial payout for his silence.

[D]

For a few comparatively happy years, the family counted on my discretion, and I foolishly believed my loyalty was being rewarded with something like love. But at Ben's 40th birthday party, my wife and I were unceremoniously dumped, cast overboard like sacks of grain from a sinking boat. Our faithful retainership was no longer required. We were told Ben would be standing for political office and needed to tidy up inconvenient loose ends, of which I was one.

[C]

And as you might guess, as Ben reaches for power, Martin does not stay silent. Certainly not tidy. One of Us is the latest novel from Elizabeth Day, who's also host of the hit podcast how to Fail. She joins us from our studios in New York. Thank you so much for being with us.

[D]

Thank you so much for having me

[C]

help us understand this rivalry friendship at the center of the book between Ben and Martin.

[D]

So I have long been fascinated by outsidership, and Martin is in many ways the quintessential outsider. So he came from a difficult background and he won a scholarship to an elite boarding school in England. And at that boarding school, he fixated on this wealthy, aristocratic, glamorous young man called Ben Fitzmaurice. And as you've just heard there, something happened at Ben's 40th birthday party which ensured the disruption and explosion of that friendship. Several years later, Ben is on course to become the next British Prime Minister. But Martin is hell bent on revenge. Martin is still somewhat in love with Ben, but he's never properly admitted it to himself because he struggled with his own identity. And that the idea of revenge, of nurturing it like a pet, it's the closest he can get to having that love reciprocated.

[C]

When we meet Martin, he's in therapy. Not much of a believer in therapy, though, is he?

[D]

No. Martin is an acerbic observer, which is partly why I really like writing him as someone who acts as a kind of gateway for the reader. He's a sort of perfect observer of things, but he's also quite bitter and resentful. He's someone who has always wanted to make more of his life. He's wanted to have power, but he's never been allowed into the inner circle because he is not one of them. That's where the title One of Us comes from. And so he occupies this really interesting space where the things that could help him, he's not allowing in because of his own bitterness.

[C]

Ben's rival Tory Member of Parliament, Richard Take, is also taken down by a scandal. But he comes roaring back, doesn't he?

[D]

He does. So Richard Tate was probably the character I had the most fun writing and the reason I had a lot of

[C]

fun reading him too.

[D]

Oh, I'm so happy to hear that, Scott. As you say, he's a Tory mp. He was a front bench politician, but he lost his front bench seat because of an indiscretion at work. He was filmed on CCTV watching pornography on his office computer. So Richard Take is determined to go on a rehabilitation program. And he does that very modern thing that so many failed or disgraced politicians do in today's culture. He goes on a reality TV show. And that reality TV show re endears him to members of the public who become familiarized with him again. And really what I wanted to look at there was how reality tv, whatever you think about it, has become a sort of preeminent cultural force. But I have to say, although he starts off as this sort of comic and absurd character, he does go on a redemptive journey and I end up rather large because he's able to learn from his failures.

[C]

I do feel the need to say it's a reality show about sewage workers with a title, at least in the United States. And broadcasting, we can't repeat word for word. Let's just call it Stuff Happens. How's that?

[D]

Yes, perfect.

[C]

Among your lines I admire, you talk about how losing politicians can usefully resurface as podcasters. Quote, most of the podcasts feature two white men from different sides of the political divide joshing agreeably while analyzing the brokenness of a system they contributed to breaking. That's the formula, isn't it?

[B]

Yeah.

[D]

I'm so thrilled you picked up that line. You know, sometimes things annoy you so much and you wonder why people aren't saying it. And you almost have to write an entire book just to put a line in. And that was my line.

[C]

You're writing about Tories. Members of Britain's Conservative Party seem to be the living definition of privilege, as I don't have to tell you, the current leader of the Conservative Party, Kemi Badenok, a black woman from a Nigerian family of no particular privilege, and Lord Peter Mandelson, so recently charged in the Epstein case, was a Labor political figure. So are the Tories really figures of British privilege anymore?

[D]

Times are definitely shifting, thank goodness. But I was looking at a very specific era in one of us, which was the Boris Johnson era. And there was a succession. I think there were three Tory leaders who had gone to private school, sailed into Oxbridge, and then went into a career in politics without ever having lived a normal day as an ordinary person. And I felt like there was such a disconnect there. And I thought it all also said a lot about the electorate, to be honest. There's something still so embedded, I think, in British culture, where we believe that the people who speak properly and went to the right schools and are in some way characters. We sort of trust that they're the experts. And I'm glad to see that that is changing now. But I think that we still need to be wary.

[C]

Do we, in the public as well as journalists, abide these lives because in the end, they're entertaining? I mean, at least since the time of Shakespeare.

[D]

Yes. In short, I do think that with certain politicians, we mistake their joshing, characterful personalities for someone that we are familiar with seeing down the pub or dancing badly at a family wedding. We become used to them, and their character seems like qualification enough. When you're running a country, you also need to have qualifications. You can't just be the kind of man that you want to share a pint with. And I think they are very entertaining, these characters, as you rightly say, from the days of Shakespeare onwards. And the problem is is that sometimes the character masks the danger.

[C]

Elizabeth Day, her new novel, One of Us. Thank you so much for being with us.

[D]

Thank you so much for having me. I really loved this conversation.

[A]

And just a reminder that signing up for book of the day plus is a great way to support NPR's book coverage and public media. And you'll get to listen to every episode sponsor free. So please go find out [e-mail] BookOfTheDay.

[E]

The world's biggest story keeps getting bigger this week on up first, we're tracking the escalating war in Iran, rising oil prices and a global economy on edge as the conflict spills beyond Iran. Our host, Leila Fadel, is on the ground in Iraq. Listen each morning for three stories you need to start your day on up first on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.