A Common Loss

January 2, 2012
A group of five male college friends meeting every year in Las Vegas to reconnect and reaffirm ties hasn’t kept them from growing apart. When, 10 years after graduation, one of the men, Dylan, dies in a tragic accident, the remaining four—Elliot (who narrates), Cameron, Tallis, and Brian—decide to keep up the ritual get-together for the upcoming year and cope with Dylan’s death. What they don’t expect is to discover that Dylan, who was the one who loved doing favors and getting them all out of difficult situations, had kept a dossier listing their misdeeds and indiscretions, including rape and plagiarism, and what he had done to help. The friends expected Dylan would take their secrets to his grave, but instead, he entrusted them to his younger brother, Colin, who plans to use the information to his own advantage. While the four men try to come to terms with Dylan’s actions and the consequence of their own behavior, Brian wins $430,000 at the roulette tables, perfect timing to buy off Colin. But while the four return to their lives, they are forever altered. Tranter’s (The Legacy) setup is an intimate character study of friendship and deceit set against the American paean to false appearances, but the execution feels flawed. The dark secrets are simple, tawdry things, Colin is a petty villain, and Elliot’s introspection isn’t deep enough to fully engage readers, who will feel indifferent to the fate of the protagonists. Agent: Claudia Ballard, WME Entertainment.