The Friend

The intensity and elegance of The Friend mean two things-you cannot put it down and you will cry. In a novel about loss and the loneliness of writing and imagination, Sigrid Nunez creates an irresistible tale of love and an unforgettable Great Dane. A beautiful, beautiful book-the most original canine love story since My Dog Tulip. -Cathleen Schine, bestselling author of They May Not Mean To, But They Do Quietly brilliant and darkly funny... [The Friend is] rigorous and stark, so elegant-so dismissive of conventional notions of plot-it hardly feels like fiction. Breathtaking both in pain and in beauty; a singular book. -Kirkus, starred review Riveting... This elegant novel explores both rich memories and day-to-day mundanity, reflecting the way that, especially in grief, the past is often more vibrant than the present. -Publishers Weekly Nunez offers an often-hilarious, always-penetrating look at writing, grief, and the companionship of dogs. -Booklist Praise for Sigrid Nunez: Nunez's writing is gorgeously spare. -The Boston Globe Nunez's keen powers of observation make her a natural chronicler. -The New York Times Book Review Refreshingly impatient with the conventions of fiction, Nunez is capable of upending our expectations to powerful ends. --The New York Review of Books Nunez has proved herself a master of psychological acuity. -The New Yorker Nunez is an uncompromising talent in her own right. -Vogue