The Friend (National Book Award Winner)

A Novel

By: Sigrid Nunez

Narrated by: Hillary Huber

WINNER OF THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FOR FICTION

ONE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES’S 100 BEST BOOKS OF THE 21ST CENTURY

NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE STARRING NAOMI WATTS

“A beautiful book . . . a world of insight into death, grief, art, and love.” —Wall Street Journal

“A penetrating, moving meditation on loss, comfort, memory . . . Nunez has a wry, withering wit.” —NPR

“Dry, allusive and charming . . . the comedy here writes itself.” —The New York Times

The New York Times bestselling story of love, friendship, grief, healing, and the magical bond between a woman and her dog.

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.

Elegiac and searching, The Friend is both a meditation on loss and a celebration of human-canine devotion.

3.97 stars

This year’s National Book Award winner is fiction that reads like memoir. I suspect at least some of this novel is based on the author’s life, though I know nothing about Sigrid Nunez and have no grounds for saying this. The Friend is about love and loss, but more specifically it’s about suicide and writers and dogs. I like this author’s writing style, and I like the narrator of this audiobook. It’s a book of ideas, not a novel in the traditional sense. There’s so many literary prizes these days, and I don’t know the criteria for each. I won’t say The Friend isn’t deserving of The NBA, but I will say I’ve listened to better audiobooks that were released this year. Overall rating: 3.97 stars

Second to last chapter curveball!!

Loved her patient observations and earnest questioning. It’s like she took me with her into this unknown time of life- thank you

put this at the top of your queue.

When I first started listening, with no advance knowledge of the story or the writer, I thought Oh God this is some authorial navel-gazing. But I was hiking so I kept listening, and then...Oh. No it isn't. It's bright, and gently subversive, and not navel-gazing but hugely introspective in a way that pulled me in and held me. The narrator's voice facilitates the whole experience. I'd give more stars if I could.

Great writing

i loved it. I would definitely recommend it to anyone. especially if you have a dog.

Funny, sweet, and sad

I loved this book, which touches on grief and the bond between humans and animals. I loved the writing style, dark humor, literary backdrop and attention to detail with the dog and New York City. I wanted to start it over as soon as I finished. Very lovely.