Reviews
"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 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, "A poignant reflection on loss and companionship."-- Marie Claire "A wry riff on Rilke's idea of love as two solitudes that 'protect and border and greet each other.'"-- Vogue "An elegant, moving, thoughtful meditation on grief, friendship, healing, and the bonds between humans and dogs." -- Buzzfeed "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 "This is a slow, poignant meditation on grief, rife with pithy literary myths and quotations... Literature nerds, creative writing students, and dog lovers will find this work delightful. Recommended for literary fiction collections." --Library Journal "Nunez's story of a dog and his inadvertent caregiver is a darkly humorous and unsentimental tale of friendship, mourning, and solace." -- Electric Lit "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 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, "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 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, "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, "A penetrating, moving meditation on loss, comfort, memory, what it means to be a writer today, and various forms of love and friendship...Nunez has a wry, withering wit." -- NPR "A poignant reflection on loss and companionship."-- Marie Claire "[A] sneaky gut punch of a novel...a consummate example of the human-animal tale... The Friend 's tone is dry, clear, direct--which is the surest way to carry off this sort of close-up study of anguish and attachment." -- Harper's Magazine "A wry riff on Rilke's idea of love as two solitudes that 'protect and border and greet each other.'"-- Vogue "An elegant, moving, thoughtful meditation on grief, friendship, healing, and the bonds between humans and dogs." -- Buzzfeed "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 "This is a slow, poignant meditation on grief, rife with pithy literary myths and quotations... Literature nerds, creative writing students, and dog lovers will find this work delightful. Recommended for literary fiction collections." --Library Journal "Nunez's story of a dog and his inadvertent caregiver is a darkly humorous and unsentimental tale of friendship, mourning, and solace." -- Electric Lit "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 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, "A penetrating, moving meditation on loss, comfort, memory, what it means to be a writer today, and various forms of love and friendship... Nunez has a wry, withering wit." -- NPR " In this slim but pitch-perfect novel, a writer loses her best friend and mentor suddenly without explanation...Wry and moving, The Friend is a love story, a mania story, and a recovery story." -- Vanity Fair "A poignant reflection on loss and companionship." -- Marie Claire "[A] sneaky gut punch of a novel...a consummate example of the human-animal tale... The Friend 's tone is dry, clear, direct--which is the surest way to carry off this sort of close-up study of anguish and attachment." -- Harper's Magazine "A wry riff on Rilke's idea of love as two solitudes that 'protect and border and greet each other.'"-- Vogue "Often as funny as it is thoughtful, The Friend is an elegant meditation on grief, friendship, healing, and the bonds between humans and dogs." --Buzzfeed "An elegant and darkly humorous meditation on grief and companionship, it's a great read -- whether or not you're obsessed with canines." --Shondaland.com "Sigrid Nunez's novel delivers an enthralling, emotional tale." --Paste Magazine "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 "Light, musing, curious, and somehow wonderfully sturdy ." -Vivian Gornick for Bookforum "Brilliant but informal, sad yet laugh-out-loud funny... This beautiful, spare, work will not disappoint." - Bookpage "Nunez offers an often-hilarious, always-penetrating look at writing, grief, and the companionship of dogs." -- Booklist "This is a slow, poignant meditation on grief, rife with pithy literary myths and quotations... Literature nerds, creative writing students, and dog lovers will find this work delightful. Recommended for literary fiction collections." -- Library Journal "Nunez's story of a dog and his inadvertent caregiver is a darkly humorous and unsentimental tale of friendship, mourning, and solace."-- Electric Lit "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
