Main Characters
‘an epic, heart-wrenching love story’ Kate Sawyer
Failed to add items
Sorry, we are unable to add the item because your shopping cart is already at capacity.
Add to basket failed.
Please try again later
Add to Wish List failed.
Please try again later
Remove from Wish List failed.
Please try again later
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
1 credit a month to buy any audiobook in our entire collection.
Unlimited access to our all-you-can-listen catalogue of 15K+ audiobooks and podcasts.
Member-only deals & discounts.
Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
Main Characters
Pre-order for $26.99
-
Narrated by:
-
By:
-
Bobby Palmer
About this listen
'This book gave me genuine joy and broke my heart'
'For fans of Heartburn, David Nicholls, Sally Rooney'
'A beautifully written, emotionally rich story that surprised me in the best way'
'These characters live in your head long after you've closed the book'
'Recommended for people watchers'
'So much more than it first appears. The characters are incredibly lifelike and layered'
'I truly felt like I was in the story'
Readers everywhere are talking about Main Characters, the highly anticipated novel about love, friendship, dysfunctional families and life-changing connections. This is a love story, told by everyone but the main characters.
--
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...
PRAISE FOR MAIN CHARACTERS
'Moving, funny, wise and beautifully written. I love the idea of people's lives crossing over, the impressions we get from what we see and hear. I was so invested in the characters. If you love a smart, poignant, funny, gripping book, you will love this. I cannot recommend it enough' JOANNA CANNON
'Gorgeous, clever, utterly addictive' PANDORA SYKES
'If you love clever literary fiction, you will love this novel. If you love immersive commercial fiction, you will love this novel. If you love a portrayal of London that feels like a Richard Curtis movie, you will love this novel' GEORGINA MOORE
'The perfect book for anyone who's ever sat opposite a mysterious stranger on a train and wondered what's really going on behind those eyes' JUSTIN MYERS©2026 Bobby Palmer
Critic Reviews
Gorgeous, clever, utterly addictive. A fresh take on the British romcom (Pandora Sykes)
An epic love story that's innovative and clever but with all the humour, character detail and heart-wrenching emotional moments we have come to expect from Bobby Palmer's writing. Wonderful (Kate Sawyer)
If you love clever literary fiction, you will love this novel. If you love immersive commercial fiction, you will love this novel. If you love rom coms and a portrayal of London that feels like a Richard Curtis movie, you will love this novel (Georgina Moore)
The perfect book for anyone who's ever sat opposite a mysterious stranger on a train and wondered what's really going on behind those eyes. A charming, romantic meditation on the chaos of falling in (and out of) love (Justin Myers)
Moving, funny, wise and beautifully written. This novel held me from beginning to end. The press release says, "you've never read a love story like this one" . . .and you truly haven't. It is unique and so, so clever. I love the idea of people's lives crossing over, the impressions we get from what we see and hear. I was so invested in the characters. I laughed out loud so many times. A couple of chapters made me sob - I was so distraught, but it's all part of the process. If you love a smart, poignant, funny, gripping book, you will love this. I cannot recommend it enough (Joanna Cannon)
Main Characters is a true feat of imagination - a love story built from absence, told entirely through the voices of those orbiting its central couple. Every perspective is gripping, immediate, and utterly alive, forging a surprising and intense intimacy with Seb and Clara, even as we only meet them refracted through others' eyes. Bobby Palmer has the rare talent of making us fall in love, and this might be his greatest achievement yet (Seth Insua)
Cinematic and swoon-worthy (but not without its gut punches), this felt like a Nora Ephron movie colliding with a flipbook of characters on the page. It's such a fresh and original take on the telling of a love story - but somehow timeless, too, in the way of classic movies (Claire Daverley)
No reviews yet
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.