In the Sally Rooney-esque ‘Down Time,’ Five Friends Grow Older, ‘If Not Always Up’ — See the Cover! (Exclusive)

Andrew Martin‘s upcoming novel unpacks age-old, universal desires: “to love and be loved, to know and be known, to stay sane, if only just.”

In Down Time, a group of five friends are thrust towards introspection when a sixth friend dies suddenly and a global pandemic disrupts their lives. In the novel, which the publisher describes as perfect for Sally Rooney fans, the eclectic cast of characters face questions of their own accomplishments, disappointments, vices, beauty and — worst of all — age, which puts a clock on it all.

Down Time follows Aaron, Cassandra, Malcom, Violet and Antonia — all within loose orbit of each other, all still trying to sculpt their lives just right. At the center of their social network is Sam, a “charming trust fund punk” whose sudden death rocks the group.

“All five must contend with the lives they’ve made: their desires and disappointments, habits and hang-ups, pathologies and addictions, and the possibilities of making art and being good as the earth whirls to its end,” reads the book’s official synopsis.

Martin tells PEOPLE he sought to capture the feeling of being “on the verge of ‘midlife’ in our current era” — somewhere in your thirties, which is still categorically young, but with the overwhelming pressure to “pull yourself together soon.” It’s a particular stage of life Martin himself is experiencing right now, he says.

“These characters represent some of the darkest aspects of my experience, but they’re also funny, self-aware and in their own ways, brave. I hope readers see some of their own struggles reflected in the book,” Martin tells PEOPLE. “I love these characters and I’m eager for other people to meet them and, I hope, embrace them.”

The author also wanted to situate the novel in a recent moment in history — the COVID-19 pandemic and the “early Biden years” — a time with which Martin hopes many readers can connect.

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Martin is also the author of Early Work and Cool for America, both works of literary fiction featuring dynamic characters tackling hard questions of ambition, love and life’s timing.

Down Time hits shelves on March 10, 2026 and is available for preorder now, wherever books are sold.