The FriendThe Friend
Score Modern
What it's about
A writer in New York loses her best friend and mentor, a famous, womanizing author, to suicide. His widow asks her to take in his dog, Apollo, an enormous, grieving Great Dane, though dogs aren't allowed in her tiny apartment. As she and the dog grieve together, she reflects on writing, friendship and love.
Why it's worth reading
It won the National Book Award, and the New York Times named it one of the best books of the 21st century. It's short, wise and very moving.
You'll love it if you liked
The Year of Magical Thinking
H Is for Hawk
The Cost of LivingGood to know
It's reflective, with little plot. It deals with suicide and grief.
By the numbers
- Readers1 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics85 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller28 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz7 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #222 of the 309 literary novels we rank
- #1001 of the 1,573 modern books we rank
- #1850 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Moving
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Quick answers
Is The Friend worth reading?
Yes. It won the National Book Award, and the New York Times named it one of the best books of the 21st century. It ranks #1,850 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 65.2 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is The Friend about?
A writer in New York loses her best friend and mentor, a famous, womanizing author, to suicide. His widow asks her to take in his dog, Apollo, an enormous, grieving Great Dane, though dogs aren't allowed in her tiny apartment. As she and the dog grieve together, she reflects on writing, friendship and love.
How long does it take to read The Friend?
About 6 hours (226 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What awards has The Friend won?
National Book Award (Fiction) winner (2018).
What should I read after The Friend?
If you liked it, try The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion, H Is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald or The Cost of Living by Deborah Levy.