Anna-Maria Kellen Lecture

The Rule of Three

Justin Torres’s third novel, The Rule of Three, draws on the storytelling principle found in fables and folktales – especially those collected by the Brothers Grimm – where events or characters often come in threes. He tells the story of three bachelor brothers, all in their forties, in a shared moment of crisis. The action of the novel takes place over a constricted timespan and explores themes of homelessness, precarity, and class conflict, while also examining how triads play a fundamental role in shaping social life.