The Friend (novel)

The Friend
	First edition cover
Author	Sigrid Nunez
Country	United States
Language	English
Publisher	Riverhead Books
Publication date	6 February 2018
Pages	224
ISBN	978-0735219441
OCLC	981507732
Dewey Decimal	813/.54
LC Class	PS3564.U485 F75 2018

The Friend is a novel by American writer Sigrid Nunez published by Riverhead Books in 2018. The book concerns an unnamed novelist who adopts a Great Dane that belonged to a deceased friend and mentor.

Writing and publishing

Nunez was inspired to write the novel in part due to acquaintances and friends convinced their lives would end by suicide.[1] A friend of Nunez's committed suicide as she was writing The Friend.[2] Nunez also drew inspiration from Elizabeth Hardwick novel Sleepless Nights.[3]

The novel contains autobiographical elements, which Nunez has said allowed for "essay writing" and "meditation" within the book.[3]

Reception

Critical reception

The novel received positive reviews.[4] Critics praised the depiction of the relationship between the narrator and her adopted dog.[5][6]

Nunez was surprised by the response to the novel, in part because her other works have not received as much attention.[7]

Honors

The novel won the National Book Award for Fiction.[7]

References

Gross, Terry (24 January 2019). "'The Friend' Novelist Grapples With Suicide, Grief And Student-Teacher Relationships". NPR. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
Hinds, Jess Decourcy (5 February 2018). "The House of Fiction Has Many Rooms: Talking with Sigrid Nunez". The Rumpus.net. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
Zaleska, Monika (23 February 2018). "You Can't Explain Death to An Animal: An Interview with Sigrid Nunez". Literary Hub. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
Wilson, Frances (10 May 2019). "Dangerous spaces - Fiction". The Times Literary Supplement. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
Kipnis, Laura (28 June 2018). "You Old Dog!". The New York Review of Books. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
Haas, Lidija (1 February 2018). "New Books, by Lidija Haas". Harper's Magazine.
Alter, Alexandra (13 December 2018). "With 'The Friend,' Sigrid Nunez Becomes an Overnight Literary Sensation, 23 Years and Eight Books Later (Published 2018)". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 January 2021.

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[1] Gross, Terry (24 January 2019). "'The Friend' Novelist Grapples With Suicide, Grief And Student-Teacher Relationships". NPR. Retrieved 20 January 2021.

[2] Hinds, Jess Decourcy (5 February 2018). "The House of Fiction Has Many Rooms: Talking with Sigrid Nunez". The Rumpus.net. Retrieved 20 January 2021.

[zaleska_lh-3] Zaleska, Monika (23 February 2018). "You Can't Explain Death to An Animal: An Interview with Sigrid Nunez". Literary Hub. Retrieved 20 January 2021.

[4] Wilson, Frances (10 May 2019). "Dangerous spaces - Fiction". The Times Literary Supplement. Retrieved 20 January 2021.

[5] Kipnis, Laura (28 June 2018). "You Old Dog!". The New York Review of Books. Retrieved 20 January 2021.

[6] Haas, Lidija (1 February 2018). "New Books, by Lidija Haas". Harper's Magazine.

[alter_nyt-7] Alter, Alexandra (13 December 2018). "With 'The Friend,' Sigrid Nunez Becomes an Overnight Literary Sensation, 23 Years and Eight Books Later (Published 2018)". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 January 2021.