For Friendsgiving
The Shortlist Volume 12
Turns out a great number of books are fundamentally about friendship, so putting this list together is like choosing the best books about love. But here are a few great books about the importance of good friends that you can bring to your Friendsgiving dinner instead of (or in addition to) another bottle of wine…
Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney. Following friends Alice and Eileen as they navigate the anxieties of young adulthood, including a love quadrangle, often told through their emails. It’s one of those rare books that’s both totally accessible and profoundly deep.
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin. Following the relationship of Sam and Sadie from friends as children to creative partners as adults. The thread is their friendship, a deep platonic soulmate kind of love, and their shared passion for video games, but you don’t need to be a gamer to love this book (I certainly am not)!
The Women by Kristin Hannah. Frankie, Barb and Ethel are young nurses in Vietnam, thrust into action. War, love, sacrifice, and unsung heroes, with the powerful bond between these three women serving as the heart of the story. Female friendships are a central theme in all of Hannah’s work.
James by Percival Everett. Name a more unexpected, iconic duo: Huck and Jim, Jim and Huck. You know the story, but if you haven’t read this reimagining, it’s a must.
The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai. This book toggles between the 1980s Chicago art scene, as the characters navigate the onset of the AIDS epidemic, and a mother/daughter drama set in present-day Paris. By far the most moving and powerful relationships in this book are those of the friendships and chosen families that bound together and held each other up in the face of fear, grief and societal and familial rejection. I was gasping for air, I cried so hard.
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante. Maybe one of the best books ever about a complicated female friendship, full of jealousy and competition, but also deep love. We meet Elena and Lila as children in this first of four books, set in working class post-war Italy. They are both brilliant in their own way, and their rivalry slash friendship fuels their ambition.
