Hey, it's Empire'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 hang-ups 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 Empire Scott Slaman, author Elizabeth Day talks about power and politics

and who gets the privilege of being welcomed into the inner circle in Britain? conversation with Empire Scott Slaman, 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.

Martin Gilmore teaches art 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 Fitzmorest clan, an upper-crust British family.

And to secure Ben's future prospects, they gave Martin a substantial payout for his silence.

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. And, as you might guess, has 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

...