In Luke Horton’s Time Together, a group of old friends, now in their 40s, get together at a beach house to hang out for the first time in a long time. The house belongs to the parents of Phil. Phil’s mother has recently died after a long illness, and while his father is away travelling, Phil has invited the friends to regroup and relive some good times, maybe create new memories. One couple brings their two children, including an emotional almost-teen, another friend has a much younger kid and a partner who isn’t part of the original crew, another friend again is uncoupled, and then there’s Phil himself, still waist-deep in grief though trying to avoid thinking about it too much – on face value, the chances of this vacation running to plan or at all smoothly seem unlikely. Everyone is agreed on the aim to ‘have a good time’, but when life is happening right now and the minutiae and histories keep getting in the way, the ‘good time’ seems elusive, perhaps impossible. It sure isn’t like it used to be.

This book, Horton’s second novel, is a carefully crafted and gorgeously written character study that captures the ways in which friendships, especially long-term ones, are challenged by the pressures of middle age, where differences between experiences, ambitions and values become more pronounced, and where being friends for a long time might not be enough to keep people together. I found myself utterly engrossed in the group’s lazy days and the relationships unfolding on the page, learning the longer histories of the characters, the messiness of their love and lust, and changing loyalties. There’s an undercurrent of nostalgia too, and a sadness that middle age brings is captured perfectly here: who were we then, who are we now, how much time do we have left? At times claustrophobic and inviting serious self-reflection, this is a beach read unlike any other.