The Friend by Sigrid Nunez

The death of a lifelong friend inspires the unnamed narrator into a series of meditations on suicide and writing, innocence and dominion, and how context changes whether we perceive certain acts as gross abuse or entertainment.

Compelling and thought-provoking.

The Friend is beautifully written. The narrator, a female writer and workshop teacher, addresses the narrative to her dead friend - an adulterous, sleazy, influential author. The narrative is addressed to ‘you’, putting the reader in the intimate position of voyeur, giving the whole work the feeling of a private, doomed correspondence.

I especially enjoyed the passages with Apollo the aging Great Dane and the narrator’s thoughts on the writing industry. There are some uncomfortable passages on child sex slavery, but these set up interesting questions later on how authors use material from life.

Are the cover and blurb misleading?! If you’re thinking the primary colours and handsome Dane indicate a joyous read of dog walks and waggy tails, be warned that this is a novel about suicide and grief.

Lovely clean prose. I found The Friend a compelling, thought-provoking read.

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