Books › The friend
National Book Award for Fiction 2018
The friend
224 pages
An intimate, psychologically rich portrait of shared grief and the profound, silent bond between a mourning woman and a traumatized dog.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like stepping into a quiet, isolated room where the heavy air of grief slowly gives way to an unexpected, silent companionship. The narrative unfolds at a steady, introspective pace, mirroring the protagonist's psychological descent and her obsessive, tender focus on a traumatized Great Dane. It is a deeply melancholic yet ultimately rewarding experience, steeped in the claustrophobia of mourning and the threat of unraveling. The prose captures the internal landscape of loss, focusing on the unspoken, profound connection that can form between human and animal when both are stripped bare by sorrow. It will deeply resonate with readers who appreciate quiet, character-driven fiction that explores the complexities of friendship, the weight of absence, and the surprising ways we find healing.
- Mood
- isolated
- grief-heavy
- quiet
- claustrophobic
- Tone
- introspective
- melancholic
- obsessive
- tender
- Pace
- steady
- Themes
- the weight of grief · human-animal connection · the isolation of mourning · psychological unraveling · finding unexpected solace
- The writing
- Introspective and psychologically focused, capturing the obsessive and isolated nature of deep mourning.
- The arc
- Moves from profound, isolating grief and near-collapse into a surprising, quiet space of mutual healing and connection.
- Who it's for
- Readers who appreciate quiet, psychological explorations of grief and the profound, unspoken bonds between humans and animals.
Content notes
- grief
- death of a friend
- animal distress
About the book
When a woman unexpectedly loses her lifelong best friend and mentor, she finds herself burdened with the unwanted dog he has left behind. Her own battle against grief is intensified by the mute suffering of the dog, a huge Great Dane traumatized by the inexplicable disappearance of its master, and by the threat of eviction: dogs are prohibited in her apartment building. While others worry that grief has made her a victim of magical thinking, the woman refuses to be separated from the dog except for brief periods of time. Isolated from the rest of the world, increasingly obsessed with the dog's care, determined to read its mind and fathom its heart, she comes dangerously close to unraveling. But while troubles abound, rich and surprising rewards lie in store for both of them.
Description from Open Library.
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