Line #108 Literature/TheThirdWheel


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_third_wheel_8.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:Being single isn't the end of the world...]]
3	''The Third Wheel'' is a 2019 science fiction novel by Creator/MichaelJRitchie.
4
5	Dexter Scithers feels like the universe is taunting him. Everywhere he turns, he's accosted by wedding invitations, housewarming parties and tables for two. All of his friends are settling down with their other halves, while Dexter spends his evenings with only his cat for company.
6
7	But when aliens invade, it puts a lot of his problems into perspective...
8
9	!!Tropes in this book:
10	* AerithAndBob: While most characters have pretty normal names, there are also characters called Peregrina and Shell, although WordOfGod says that the latter is actually short for "Michelle", she's just never called that.
11	* AlienAbduction: At the end, [[spoiler: Dexter, Shell and Frederik are the only remaining survivors of the main characters and get abducted]]
12	%%* AlienInvasion
13	* AliensSpeakingEnglish: Averted; they speak using colour.
14	* AloneAmongTheCouples: Dexter is the living embodiment of this trope
15	* AmbiguousEnding: It's unclear exactly [[spoiler: which characters survive the novel's end]] and [[spoiler: for how long they will continue to do so]]
16	* ApocalypseAnarchy: To a degree, but given most of the population is dead it's limited to stealing food from restaurants and shops. There doesn't appear to be any military intervention though, and all governments have fallen.
17	* BaitAndSwitch: If you hadn't read the prologue or the blurb, it seems like it's going to be a story about a man's quest to end his bachelorhood. It isn't.
18	* BerserkButton: When [[spoiler: Terry]] is killed, [[spoiler: Shell]] goes medieval on the killer. Dexter also blows his top when [[spoiler: Alex]] doesn't understand him
19	* BestFriend: Dexter and Priti - or at least, oldest friend.
20	%%* BetterAsFriends: Dexter and Gavin
21	* BizarreAlienBiology: The aliens apparently permanently conjoin to reproduce and are attempting to do the same to the humans; they also communicate visually with colour
22	* BizarreAlienReproduction: A married alien couple share one body
23	* BodyHorror: Most of the conjoined humans.
24	* BreakOutTheMuseumPiece: Once their guns are lost, stolen and out of ammo, the gang take rusting, historical weapons from the British Museum, including swords, flint tools and a halberd.
25	* ButNotTooBi: While two characters are noted as being bisexual (see above), they are both in monogamous relationships.
26	* CantHoldHisLiquor: How Dexter meets Jay and Kay
27	* CaughtUpInTheRapture: Reverend Fawkes believes that the Rapture has come
28	* CerebusSyndrome: The first half of the book is very tongue-in-cheek and heavy on the jokes. About halfway through, [[spoiler: two characters we've grown to know and like die graphically]] and things get a lot darker from then on.
29	%%* CharactersDroppingLikeFlies
30	%%* {{Cliffhanger}}
31	* CorpseLand: Post-invasion London
32	* CrazyCatLady: Peregrina imagines herself ending up like this before she meets Pete
33	* DarkestHour: [[spoiler: The planet will probably never see a successful human civilization again, and the surviving characters have no hope of escape]]
34	* DeceasedParentsAreTheBest: Dexter's parents died in a car crash when he was a child
35	* DeletedScene: At the very end of the novel there are extra scenes detailing some of the events that occurred when Dexter wasn't around; namely [[spoiler: how Gavin-and-Frederik made it to the museum]], [[spoiler: what happened on Lara-and-Steve's honeymoon]], and [[spoiler: how long Peregrina-and-Pete survived after leaving the group]]. A fourth scene, showing [[spoiler: Annie-and-Matt's time with the aliens]] was completely cut, and is therefore a genuine deleted scene.
36	* DepopulationBomb: Of a sort, as it seems the vast majority of humans are killed off within the first few hours of the invasion
37	%%* DisasterScavengers
38	* DisposingOfABody: The characters try and do what they can with some of the bodies, but they can't bury them all
39	* [[spoiler: DownerEnding]]: [[spoiler: Aliens have won the Earth and Dexter has seen the death of almost everyone he loves]]
40	%%* DwindlingParty
41	* DyingDeclarationOfLove: Jay and Kay have time to tell each other that they love one another before they die, although they already knew; [[spoiler: Alex admits that he loved more than just Ruby]]
42	* EmergencyBroadcast: These are seen at the beginning of the invasion
43	%%* EvilFormerFriend: [[spoiler: Annie-and-Matt]]
44	* ExpansionPackPast: Many chapters show how Dexter met his friends, and each one reveals a little more about how he became who he is, reaching a head when we finally get his own backstory
45	* ExpositionBreak: For the first half of the novel, every other chapter gives backstory as to how Dexter met his friends and how they met their partners
46	* ExtremelyShortTimespan: It takes humanity just hours to give up in the presence of a bigger threat; the rest of the events take place over a week or so
47	* FamilyOfChoice: [[spoiler: With no family left of his own, Dexter treats his friends like a family, which makes it harder for him to see them pair off]]
48	* [[spoiler: FinalGirl]]: [[spoiler: Shell is the only female character to survive]]
49	* FireForgedFriends: Discussed openly with Dexter and Priti; also works for what everyone goes through later
50	%%* FirstContact
51	* {{Flashback}}: Several chapters detail how Dexter's relationships came into being. It's actually more layered than that, as the whole story is going on in Dexter's head as he tries to stay sane [[spoiler: in a cell on an alien spaceship]]
52	* {{Foreshadowing}}: Some of the chapters explaining how Dexter met his friends contain references to what happens later. Priti-and-Art are mentioned as [[spoiler: perhaps not being in love, which is proven true when they are shown to be survivors]]. Ruby's involves [[spoiler: a pregnant character]]. Annie is asked if [[spoiler: she's ever inevitably betrayed anyone, and does this herself at the end]]. Alex also shows great concern for [[spoiler: the other women he loves]].
53	* ForgottenFirstMeeting: Priti doesn't remember her first meeting with Dexter; she thinks their second meeting was the first.
54	* FriendsAreChosenFamilyArent: Everyone seems to choose their friends over their family by the end
55	* FriendshipMoment: Many, but Gavin hugging Dexter in particular, which is described as being a very rare event
56	* GayBestFriend: Gavin, but played down
57	* GeniusBonus: Outside the church [[spoiler: there are foxgloves, a source the fatal poison digitalin. Inside, Fawkes poisons his parishioners]].
58	* GenreSavvy: Jay and Kay are both science fiction fans, so have some savvy regarding what's happening
59	* GenreShift: A story that appears to be about a guy trying to lose his bachelorhood status rapidly turns into an alien invasion story of survival
60	* HappilyMarried: A story that appears to be about a guy trying to lose his bachelorhood status rapidly turns into an alien invasion story of survival
61	* HeartbrokenBadass: When [[spoiler: Terry]] is killed, [[spoiler: Shell]] goes medieval on the killer.
62	* HeterosexualLifePartners: Dexter with most of the others.
63	* HumanoidAliens: The aliens have two arms, two legs and roughly equivalent faces, but recognition stops there
64	* IdiosyncraticEpisodeNaming: Any chapter that flashes back to how Dexter met someone is titled "[Name]-and-[Name]". This is almost parodied later with the chapter titles [[spoiler: "Ruby-and-Alex-and-", which reveals more about their relationship]], and "Victoria-and-Albert", which sees the group go to the V&A Museum
65	* InspirationNod: Several book titles are mentioned in the novel, and they're almost all either about alien invasion (''The War of the Worlds''), dystopian futures (''The Handmaid's Tale'') or duality (''Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde''). Lara is seen with a copy of ''Titus Andronicus'' at one point, which is the Shakespeare play with the highest body count, which is apt.
66	* IntergenerationalFriendship: Most of the gang are in their mid-to-late twenties, with Pete being the exception as he's around forty.
67	* IronicEcho: Dexter and Georgina break up because he tells her he'd rather be alone than with her. [[spoiler: When she disappears during the invasion, she seems to have made the same decision]].
68	%%* KillAllHumans
69	* KilledMidSentence: [[spoiler: Terry]]
70	--> "Let's show these fucking aliens that humans aren't going to be pushed around any -"\
71	[[spoiler: There's a whip crack sound and a piece of Terry's brain lands on my cheek.]]
72	%%* LastMinuteHookup: [[spoiler: Frederik and Shell]]. Possibly.
73	* LimitedSocialCircle: Dexter has a lot of friends who don't all know one another, but seem to have few other friends (or indeed family) to worry about during the apocalypse.
74	%%* LovableJock: Terry
75	* LoveTriangle: Alex admits [[spoiler: that as well as dating Ruby, he also had feelings for Kay and Annie]]
76	%%* LoyalAnimalCompanion: Catsby
77	%%* MarryForLove: Lara and Steve
78	%%* NiceGuy: Jay, above all others
79	* NoBikesInTheApocalypse: Averted; the main characters use bikes to escape the aliens at one point
80	* NoodleIncident: One of the catalysts for Dexter and Georgina breaking up is that he "accidentally" set fire to her dress, although quite how he did this is never explained
81	%%* OddFriendship: Lara in particular seems to, at first at least, have little in common with Dexter.
82	* OnlyFriend: It's implied that Gavin's blunt personality means he has few friends, with Dexter being the only one willing to put up with him
83	%%* PlatonicLifePartners: How Dexter sees his relationships with his friends.
84	* PleaseDontLeaveMe: Any number of examples, most notably [[spoiler: Dexter trying to convince Alex not to kill himself]]
85	* PsychoExGirlfriend: Dexter tries to imply that Georgina is one, but she actually seems quite sane, if lonely
86	* PunyEarthlings: Humans cannot match up to the aliens skills and weaponry.
87	* RedShirt: [[spoiler: The woman who is abducted at the end says one word before being killed]]. She's even wearing a red top.
88	%%* RightHandCat: Catsby.
89	* SexWithTheEx: Dexter and Georgina, twice.
90	* ShipperOnDeck: Dexter is irritated by his friends coupling up, but he also knows a good couple when he sees one, particuarly Jay-and-Kay and Gavin-and-Frederik
91	* ShoutOut: There are a couple of references to Michael J Ritchie's previous novel Literature/TheAtomicBloodStainedBus, namely a blood-stained bus, and a letter seen in an office that's addressed to one of its protagonists, and Dexter wears a pink and green outfit at one point, like Algernon.
92	** In one scene, a nurse called Poppy is mentioned - a completely throwaway line that makes reference to the Hogwarts matron.
93	** The lawyer's office that the group take refuge in is for a firm called Satterthwaite & Quin, a direct reference to Agatha Christie's "The Mysterious Mr Quin".
94	* SkewedPriorities: To some degree; Dexter is concerned about his singleness but loses some of this when the invasion begins; Georgina seems more interested in dating than surviving however.
95	* SleptThroughTheApocalypse: When aliens first invade, they knock out all humanity for eight hours to give themselves a headstart in killing off the natives and setting their crafts down.
96	* SocialCircleFiller: Lara and Steve's wedding is apparently quite large, but we only see the characters who turn up later on.
97	%%* TalkingDownTheSuicidal: This is done by [[spoiler: Alex and Dexter]]
98	%%* TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt: Humanity is unlikely to recover from this, but we never see quite how widespread it is.
99	* TheRightOfASuperiorSpecies: The aliens have looked at humanity's history and decided that it would be hypocritical for the humans to complain about being dominated.
100	%%* TheVicar: Reverend Fawkes
101	* ThirdWheel: Obviously, although given the size of the cast, Dexter is actually something like a fifteenth wheel
102	* TokenMinority: Priti is the only member of the cast whose race is specifically stated, and seems to be the only non-white character.
103	* TranslatorBuddy: [[spoiler: Frederik]] can understand the alien language.
104	* TwoferTokenMinority: Frederik is bisexual and blind (and if we count his Dutch nationality, perhaps a Threefer)
105	* UnreliableNarrator: Dexter claims to be an excellent friend to those around him, but closer inspection of the relationships suggests that possibly they put up with a lot more from him. He is also quite keen to label Georgina something of a psycho, but there's actually little evidence beyond his words.
106	* WhiteMaleLead: Dexter says that Priti is the only person of colour at his school, which is the only indication that he's white.

Context Literature / TheThirdWheel