'A lean, careening thrill … one of my favourite books of the year' Megan Nolan
‘Riveting reading' The Times
'Irresistible … A page-turning story of sex, power, and money' Vogue, Best Books of 2024 So Far
A razor-sharp novel that skewers the life of the uber-rich in the vein of The White Lotus, with shades of The Talented Mr Ripley and The GraduateConor is a recent graduate from a law school no one has heard of. Without any job prospects and needing to support his chronically ill mother, he takes a summer job teaching tennis at the affluent gated community of Cutters Neck, Massachusetts. One of his first students is Catherine, a magnetic divorcée keen to hire him for more than advice on her serve. What begins as a transactional arrangement soon develops into an intoxicating sexual relationship.
Things become even more complicated when Conor encounters Emily, with whom he has his first taste of real intimacy. Against his better judgment, he soon finds himself living a double life that inevitably leads to disaster.
Conor knows how hard it is to win against those with money and power. In his fight for survival, he has to put emotion aside and play with only his wits – after all, in tennis, love means nothing.
TOP OF THE LIST ON THE NEW YORK TIMES' BEST THRILLERS OF 2024 SO FAR
‘Wayne’s plot was made to gallop, and it does not disappoint’ New York Times'Terrific' Wall Street Journal
'Well-paced, smart … A savvy take on sex, money and power … A movie-ready page turner' Washington Post
WHAT READERS ARE SAYING…
'Wow, talk about a can’t-put-down book' ⭐⭐⭐⭐��
'Aced it! An absolute page turner!' ⭐⭐⭐��⭐
'I had hard time going to sleep at night because I was so engaged and couldn’t stop reading' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'Where in the world have I been that I have never discovered this writer before??' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Genre: Literary Fiction
Praise for this book
"The Winner is a harrowing romp through the bedrooms of the rich and entitled. Teddy Wayne takes us behind the gates of a super-exclusive community, an enclave of grotesque wealth where everyone gets what they want - with disastrous consequences. A gripping, provocative, and delightfully shocking novel." - Nathan Hill
"A riveting novel about how to have the rich and eat them, too. Sexy, breathless, and brutal." - Julia May Jonas
"Be prepared to fully lose yourself in The Winner - a book I started and then simply couldn't stop reading. Teddy Wayne has written a timely, topical novel that still somehow feels like a classic." - Liz Moore
"The Winner is a lean, careening thrill of a book that kept me awake half the night and away from work the following day. Conor O'Toole's steady embroilment with the wealthy people he teaches tennis to is drawn with exquisite dread. Wayne has a genius for brief observations that reveal whole reams of truth about class, poverty and competition, while also never allowing the hideously compelling story to let up for a moment. Exhilarating, cutting, and funny, The Winner is already one of my favorite books of the year." - Megan Nolan
"A riveting novel about how to have the rich and eat them, too. Sexy, breathless, and brutal." - Julia May Jonas
"Be prepared to fully lose yourself in The Winner - a book I started and then simply couldn't stop reading. Teddy Wayne has written a timely, topical novel that still somehow feels like a classic." - Liz Moore
"The Winner is a lean, careening thrill of a book that kept me awake half the night and away from work the following day. Conor O'Toole's steady embroilment with the wealthy people he teaches tennis to is drawn with exquisite dread. Wayne has a genius for brief observations that reveal whole reams of truth about class, poverty and competition, while also never allowing the hideously compelling story to let up for a moment. Exhilarating, cutting, and funny, The Winner is already one of my favorite books of the year." - Megan Nolan
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