Reviews

The Friend by Sigrid Nunez

Only show reviews with written explanations

emmawebb_'s review

Go to review page

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

basilganglia's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

bhnmt61's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

Notes on re-reading at the end.

This is a strange book, and I can see how it wouldn’t be for everyone. Sometimes it seems like lists of random thoughts— and the narrator thinks about a lot of things. Death, art, writing, friendship, creativity, sexual harassment, grief, misogyny, solitude, teaching, students, suicide, and dogs-- specifically the dog she has inherited from her long-time friend and mentor after his suicide. I thought it was fascinating. If you’re wondering if the dog dies at the end, all I can say is that isn’t what the book is about. in fact, if you’re looking for a book about a dog, this probably isn’t it.

After re-reading: this book is brilliant. But it has a very specific audience, so won’t be for everyone. It’s much more about writing, and even more specifically, what it means to create literary art (if it means anything at all), than I remembered. And also it is more disturbing than I remembered. It inverts itself toward the end, which might be the most interesting part. She writes about so many things that it’s easy to lose sight of one of the overarching questions of the novel, why does she miss this guy so much? Why is she so torn up? Endlessly thought-provoking.

outoftheofficeagain's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

Writers and writing, grief and loss, suicide and the bonds we form with animals… this was literally perfect. I cannot quite articulate the ways this moved me, spoke to me. What a talented writer, blending literary quotation, the nuance of human experience… what a way to expand my tbr and give me so much to think about — Novels like this, written like this, always end up staying with me for a long time. It has a healing effect that navigates heavy subject matter, weaving in realistic hope, and the insight that sparks my brain into motion.

I don’t know what to say other than I want to read everything Sigrid Nunez has to say, all of it. What a powerhouse. This is my favorite thing I’ve read all month.

A bad review for an incredible novel… but whatcha gonna do, just give it a read!

kerrydutra's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

sydmartens's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

One of the most interesting books I’ve read in a while. Literally never knew where it was going, felt like a real novel. It’s only fitting I give it 3 stars - I don’t think I understood it fully enough to give it more than that, at least on first read.

rosemwood's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

First I must say this book was a winner of the National Book Award. Second, this was written in the second person where "You" is not the reader but the unknown narrator's deceased friend. And third, this book is not for everyone. The plot was hardly there. So much musings and, I felt, useless information that I did not enjoy reading. The only part that I did enjoy reading was about the dog. No names are used except for the dogs name and other famous writers names. Almost as if name dropping. If your a writer or into writing this might be for you.