From the Bookshelf of Constant Reader…

The Friend

Sigrid Nunez

Start date: October 15, 2019

Discussion: Reading List

Find A Copy At

Libraries

Group Discussions About This Book

Showing 2 of 429 topics — 16,909 comments total

Reading List

* The Schedule for July through Dec. 2025
By Lynn · 1 post · 43 views

last updated Jun 20, 2025 08:37AM

In Winter I Get Up at Night by Jane Urquhart Spoilers/Discussion
By Barbara · 17 posts · 18 views

last updated 17 hours, 46 min ago

showing 3 of 3 topics view all »

What Members Thought

Dec 04, 2023 Ken added it

Shelves: finished-in-2023, contemporary

My second Nunez and, as it follows the same pattern as the first (which I enjoyed) -- her latest, The Vulnerables -- I liked this just as well. I believe I called her newest catnip for writers and readers who like to read about writing and reading. This I'll call dognip, even if the herb hasn't been invented yet.

Whereas The Vulnerables has a winsome parrot, this one has a cool Great Dane (or maybe it's a dachsund in the roman á clef) as a sidekick for the author/speaker/writer/college English pr ...more

36 likes · Like · see review

Feb 16, 2020 Renata rated it really liked it

Reminded me of Ali Smith, Lisa Halliday, and Nicole Krause. Really liked it. And I spend a lot of time alone with my dog, so can totally relate to the bond that develops even when you don’t expect it. But I know, it’s not about the dog!

9 likes · Like · see review

Dec 06, 2018 Mary Anne rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: book-club, cr

This book won the 2018 National Book Award for fiction, and with good reason. It's written as if the author is journaling about the suicide of her lifelong friend and mentor, trying to make sense of it all. Shortly after the funeral, the friend's widow asks the narrator to take his aging dog, who also seems to be grieving. The narrator and the friend are both writers, so much of the story revolves around writing and a writing teacher's life.

This book is so beautifully written. It's not a tear-je ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Mar 03, 2021 Beth rated it it was amazing

Loved it. Nunez is a fantastic and clever writer. When I heard that it was about a friend's suicide, I thought it would be a complete downer, but it is very funny at times and incredibly self-aware. Nunez throws a jaundiced eye on the world and her and the world's foibles. Anyone with a connection to writers and or academia will appreciate it. And anyone who's ever had a strong connection to a dog will enjoy. ...more

Like · see review

Jan 13, 2019 Tensy (bookdoyen) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

In this semi-autobiographical work of fiction, Sigrid Nunez, explores themes of grief, loss, friendship, writing and the love of a giant Great Dane, named Apollo. She writes with brilliant focus about the life of a writer and the current state of the literati and literature generally. She does this in 212 lean pages that could be used as a textbook for composing fiction (she teaches in the MFA program at Boston University). This book won the National Book Award in 2018 and in a profile in the Ne ...more

Like · see review

Oct 22, 2019 Michelle rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: bookclub, fiction, constant-reader, on-my-bookshelf, audiobooks

Very good read about grief and all the conflicted thoughts/feelings that go along with processing it. Of course, I also loved the use of the dog as a means for the main character to come to terms with death. The semi-stream of consciousness style took me a bit to get into, but it was fun to read a less plot-driven book and just go along for the ride.
*******
Re-read for book club via audiobook. I love this even more the second time. The second to last chapter was probably my favorite.

Like · see review