Set in 1980s London at the height of Thatcherism, The Line of Beauty follows Nick Guest, a young Oxford graduate who becomes entangled in the privileged world of the wealthy and well-connected. Invited to stay in the grand Notting Hill home of the Feddens—headed by a rising Conservative MP—Nick finds himself drawn into a glittering social circle of power, politics, and excess. As he navigates this rarefied environment, his sensitivity to beauty—in art, architecture, and desire—both elevates and isolates him.

But beneath the elegance and charm lies a more fragile reality. Nick’s romantic pursuits, his growing dependence on luxury, and the quiet tensions within the Fedden household begin to expose the cracks in this seemingly perfect world. As the decade unfolds and the specter of the AIDS crisis looms, the boundaries between privilege and vulnerability blur, forcing Nick to confront the cost of belonging in a society built on appearances.

Lyrical, perceptive, and sharply observant, this novel explores the intersections of class, sexuality, and ambition, capturing a moment in time with both intimacy and wit. Alan Hollinghurst crafts a story that is as much about the pursuit of beauty as it is about the illusions that sustain it—and the consequences when they fall away.