The Flatshare

Content Warning: The source text and this guide include discussion of emotional abuse and manipulative behavior in relationships. 

“‘You’d be sleeping with him, Tiffany!’ Gerty says. ‘Everyone knows the first rule of flat-sharing is don’t sleep with your flat-mate.’

‘I don’t think this sort of arrangement is what people are referring to,’ I tell her wryly. ‘You see, Gerty, sometimes when people say, “sleeping together,” what they really mean is—’

Gerty gives me a long, level look. ‘Yes, thank you, Tiffany.’

Mo’s sniggering stops abruptly when Gerty turns her glare on him. ‘I’d say the first rule of flatsharing is to make sure you get on with the person before you move in,’ he says, cannily redirecting the glare to me again. ‘Especially in these circumstances.’”

In the opening scene, Tiffy, Gerty, and Mo discuss Leon’s newspaper ad. This passage highlights the unusual nature of the flat-sharing arrangement, but it also illustrates how protective Mo and Gerty are of Tiffy, particularly as her breakup with Justin was so recent. Later, Tiffy will find out that Mo and Gerty are more than just flatmates themselves but are in fact sleeping together.

“Phone rings as Dr. Patel is prescribing meds for Holly […] Hang up when it rings, obviously.

Holly: Why didn’t you answer? Isn’t that rude? What if it was your girlfriend with the short hair? […]

Dr. Patel: You may have noticed that Leon is not a big talker, Holly.

Leans in, conspiratorial.

Dr. Patel: One of the registrars has a theory. He says that Leon has a limited number of words to use each shift, and when it gets to this time of day, he’s entirely run out.”

This passage, from the first chapter that Leon narrates, introduces his character and his habit of being sparing with words, even with people he cares about, like his patient, Holly. The text also illustrates the narrative style that will be characteristic of Leon’s chapters throughout the novel: His sentences are short and tend to skip words like pronouns, and dialogue is denoted by colons rather than quotation marks and attribution tags. This serves to differentiate his personality from Tiffy’s and highlights that Leon tends to be closed-off and more difficult to get to know.

“I need 350 extra a month if I’m going to keep paying Sal without Kay’s help.”

Leon’s reasoning for placing the ad in the paper for the flat share is first introduced as a need to pay a man named “Sal.” While it is clear that he owes someone money,