Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.06 AVERAGE
3.06 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I can't exactly say I enjoyed Among Friends by Hal Ebbott, but at the same time I found myself compelled to keep reading as he delved deeper into the strange and strained relationships between his characters.
Amos and Emerson have been friends for decades, ever since they were students, and together with their wives and daughters they regularly get together to celebrate and commiserate life events, large and small. When something happens at a weekend get together to celebrate Emerson's birthday at his country home, the after effects ripple through both families, threatening not just the long standing friendship but marriages and family relationships too.
This is a real slow burn, at least for the first half of the book, and that combined with the largely unlikable characters almost made me set it aside, but I am so glad that I did not, because the second half of the book really had me invested, so much so that I feel like I will be thinking about this book for quite a while. The character work in the book is exception, not just in terms of the growth they go through, though that is absolutely the case for some of them, but more so in how real and rooted they feel, it is completely believable that these people have known each other for a long time, yet in some ways do not know each other at all. The various reactions to the aftermath of what happened showed great insight into both the best and worst of human nature. The ending will probably infuriate several readers, personally I wish it had been a little more defined but I know others will like the ambiguity.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.
Amos and Emerson have been friends for decades, ever since they were students, and together with their wives and daughters they regularly get together to celebrate and commiserate life events, large and small. When something happens at a weekend get together to celebrate Emerson's birthday at his country home, the after effects ripple through both families, threatening not just the long standing friendship but marriages and family relationships too.
This is a real slow burn, at least for the first half of the book, and that combined with the largely unlikable characters almost made me set it aside, but I am so glad that I did not, because the second half of the book really had me invested, so much so that I feel like I will be thinking about this book for quite a while. The character work in the book is exception, not just in terms of the growth they go through, though that is absolutely the case for some of them, but more so in how real and rooted they feel, it is completely believable that these people have known each other for a long time, yet in some ways do not know each other at all. The various reactions to the aftermath of what happened showed great insight into both the best and worst of human nature. The ending will probably infuriate several readers, personally I wish it had been a little more defined but I know others will like the ambiguity.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.
Among Friends is a refreshing read. I absolutely loved the style of the prose, there was a beautiful tone at times and then sometimes a stilled, awkward and abrupt tone. It just worked perfectly.
We follow two families who have been connected through friendship for a long time. After some events unfold some of the characters and the reader are left anticipating and pondering the mystery for sometime. I felt the exploration of friendship and how families deal with conflict was true to life and compelling to read.
The characters are generally unlikable and the conclusion is ambiguous but this is literary fiction after all.
I think this would make a great film.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC. This is a voluntary review of my own thoughts.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Amos and Emerson have been friends for decades. The kind of friendship that looks unshakable from the outside—woven into the fabric of their families, their shared history, their children growing up alongside each other. But time has a way of testing even the strongest bonds, and during one weekend away, a single act cracks everything open.
Hal Ebbott’s Among Friends is an astonishing debut—psychologically intricate, emotionally devastating, and written with a precision that makes every sentence land like a well-aimed blow. The novel peels back the layers of a friendship that has endured through competition, quiet resentments, and shifting power dynamics, revealing the fragility of the connections we assume will last forever. "Once he was sure, it seemed as though he’d known forever. Not that his friend would do this, but that he could."
Ebbott’s writing is as sharp as it is elegant, moving seamlessly between past and present, between moments of deep intimacy and unbearable tension. The novel is full of the kind of lines that stop you cold: "What was the point of transcending one’s past if the cost were giving those same hurts to his child?" There is no melodrama here, no cheap twists—just the slow, painful unravelling of certainty, as the characters reckon with betrayal, power, and the uncomfortable truths that have always been there, just beneath the surface.
The prose is exquisite, delicate but unflinching. The novel meanders through its characters’ internal landscapes, capturing the weight of knowing and the ache of choosing whether to act. "It wasn’t enough just to be gentle and nice, to bring her tea or go for long walks. One needed to do something—he had to do something—to behave like someone who believed what she said."
If I have any criticism, it’s that the final stretch indulges a little too much in reflection, slightly dampening the novel’s relentless tension. But then again, maybe that’s the point—resolution is rarely clean, and reckoning with the past is never as simple as we want it to be.
Among Friends is a novel that unsettles, infuriates, and refuses to be forgotten. It is about the silences between people, the things we don’t say, and the moments that change everything. It’s hard to believe this is Ebbott’s debut—his prose is so mature, so intricately woven, it feels like the work of a writer who has been doing this for decades. Simply unmissable.
Huge thanks to Pan Macmillan | Picador and NetGalley for the ARC—this one will be sitting heavy in my mind for a long time.
Hal Ebbott’s Among Friends is an astonishing debut—psychologically intricate, emotionally devastating, and written with a precision that makes every sentence land like a well-aimed blow. The novel peels back the layers of a friendship that has endured through competition, quiet resentments, and shifting power dynamics, revealing the fragility of the connections we assume will last forever. "Once he was sure, it seemed as though he’d known forever. Not that his friend would do this, but that he could."
Ebbott’s writing is as sharp as it is elegant, moving seamlessly between past and present, between moments of deep intimacy and unbearable tension. The novel is full of the kind of lines that stop you cold: "What was the point of transcending one’s past if the cost were giving those same hurts to his child?" There is no melodrama here, no cheap twists—just the slow, painful unravelling of certainty, as the characters reckon with betrayal, power, and the uncomfortable truths that have always been there, just beneath the surface.
The prose is exquisite, delicate but unflinching. The novel meanders through its characters’ internal landscapes, capturing the weight of knowing and the ache of choosing whether to act. "It wasn’t enough just to be gentle and nice, to bring her tea or go for long walks. One needed to do something—he had to do something—to behave like someone who believed what she said."
If I have any criticism, it’s that the final stretch indulges a little too much in reflection, slightly dampening the novel’s relentless tension. But then again, maybe that’s the point—resolution is rarely clean, and reckoning with the past is never as simple as we want it to be.
Among Friends is a novel that unsettles, infuriates, and refuses to be forgotten. It is about the silences between people, the things we don’t say, and the moments that change everything. It’s hard to believe this is Ebbott’s debut—his prose is so mature, so intricately woven, it feels like the work of a writer who has been doing this for decades. Simply unmissable.
Huge thanks to Pan Macmillan | Picador and NetGalley for the ARC—this one will be sitting heavy in my mind for a long time.
When people have been friends for many years, the comfort and continuity of the relationship occasionally outweighs any resentments. This is the case for Amos and Emerson, who gather with their wives and daughters to celebrate Emerson's 52nd birthday. Two seemingly trivial slights result in an act of violence that threatens to destroy one of the families and the men's friendship.
It wasn't an easy read. I admired the insight into the human pysche but I wanted the story to flow without the constant interruption of stories from the past. The ending was somewhat vague with the reader having to read between the lines.
It wasn't an easy read. I admired the insight into the human pysche but I wanted the story to flow without the constant interruption of stories from the past. The ending was somewhat vague with the reader having to read between the lines.
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Sexual assault
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual violence
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes