Friendship

Emily Gould's dazzling debut novel traces, with sharp wit and honesty, the evolution of a friendship between two New Yorkers as they confront their thirties.

Bev Tunney and Amy Schein are best friends, but now, at thirty, they have reached a crossroads. Bev is stuck in circumstances that would have barely passed muster in her mid-twenties: temping, living in a shared house, drowning in debt. Amy is a fiercely charismatic media darling still riding the tailwinds of early success, but reality is catching up with her. And now Bev is unexpectedly pregnant.

As Amy and Bev are dragged into genuine adulthood, they are forced to contemplate the possibility that growing up might mean growing apart. They want to help each other but can't help themselves; want to make good decisions, but fall prey to their worst impulses. An encounter with an accomplished older woman, Sally, throws their problems into sharp relief. Emily Gould's dazzling debut novel traces the evolution of a friendship with wry sympathy, refreshing honesty and humour.