Megan Abbott's Favorite Novels About Female Friendships

In the new psychological thriller Give Me Your Hand, author Megan Abbott looks at how a life-changing secret can destroy an unlikely friendship. As a teen, Kit Owens finds that her ambitions are ignited by a mysterious new classmate, Diane Fleming. The girls quickly become best friends—and friendly rivals—as they vie for a coveted science scholarship. But when Diane confesses a dark secret, their relationship ends. More than a decade later, when the two women are reunited and are again competing, this time for a coveted job, the past roars back to life with deadly consequences.

Abbott's previous work includes Dare Me, You Will Know Me, and The Fever. Currently, she is a staff writer on HBO's new David Simon show, The Deuce, and is adapting two of her novels for television and feature film. Abbott knows a thing or two about writing about the dark side of female friendships, and here she picks her favorite literary duos.

"While not heartwarming tales or the stuff of Hallmark movies, these books feel deeply, squirmily true to me about the complexities that can riddle relationships between women—relationships that shuttle uneasily between love and aggression, intimacy and envy, identification and desire. And all explore the ways in which a female friend—especially one who's made bolder choices, braved more hazardous terrain—can force us, sometimes uncomfortably, to reflect back on ourselves, our own decisions, our own chosen paths," says Abbott.