The contemplation of writing and the loss of integrity in our literary life form the heart of the novel...Nunezs prose itself comforts us. Her confident and direct style upliftsthe music in her sentences, her deep and varied intelligence. She addresses important ideas unpretentiously and offers wisdom for any aspiring writer who, as the narrator fears, may never know this dear, intelligent friendor this world that is dying. But is it dying? Perhaps. But with The Friend, Nunez provides evidence that, for now, it survives. The New York Times Book Review
"Charming... the comedy here writes itself... the novel's tone in general, however, is mournful and resonant... The snap of her sentences sometimes puts me in mind of Rachel Cusk." The New York Times
In crystalline prose, Nunez creates an impressively controlled portrait of the exhaustion of mourning. The New Yorker
Everywhere in this novel it is impossible to separate love and companionship from loss...The Friend is one of those rare novels that, in the end, makes your heart beat slower. Los Angeles Review of Books
A beautiful book
crammed with a world of insight into death, grief, art, and love. Wall Street Journal
"A meditation on reading and writing, love and loss, The Friend is a work rich in literary allusions and anecdotes
.With The Friend . . . [Nunezs] found the perfect pitch
.Nunezs prose is illuminated by a wit, warmth and wisdom all of her own. The Friend is a true delight: I genuinely fear I wont read a better novel this year. The Financial Times
"A penetrating, moving meditation on loss, comfort, memory, what it means to be a writer today, and various forms of love and friendship... Nunez has a wry, withering wit. NPR
The book is an intimate, beautiful thing, deceptively slight at around 200 pages, but humming with insight
[an] artfully discursive meditation on friendship, love, death, solitude, canine companionship and the life of an aging writer in New York. Far from being heavy going, this novel, written as a letter to the late friend, is peppered with wry observations, particularly those of a writer stuck teaching undergraduates. The Economist
In this slim but pitch-perfect novel, a writer loses her best friend and mentor suddenly without explanation
Wry and moving, The Friend is a love story, a mania story, and a recovery story. Vanity Fair
A poignant reflection on loss and companionship. Marie Claire
[A] sneaky gut punch of a novel
a consummate example of the human-animal tale
The Friends tone is dry, clear, directwhich is the surest way to carry off this sort of close-up study of anguish and attachment. Harper's Magazine
A wry riff on Rilkes idea of love as two solitudes that protect and border and greet each other.Vogue
"With enormous heart and eloquence, Nunez explores cerebral responses to loss
The Friend exposes an extraordinary reserve of strength waiting to be found in storytelling and unexpected companionship. Minneapolis Star-Tribune
"Often as funny as it is thoughtful, The Friend is an elegant meditation on grief, friendship, healing, and the bonds between humans and dogs." Buzzfeed
A serious book about a big sloppy dog, Nunezs seventh novel
displays the intellectual heft of her late friends work, but also a distinctive sense of humor and narrative momentum. Vulture
A brilliant examination of the writers life, literary friendship, mortality, bereavement, and our relationship to animals. The novel is not easily summarized; the true rewards of this reading experience are the crystalline prose
Readers will also savor the surprising shifts in narrative focus. The Rumpus
"An elegant and darkly humorous meditation on grief and companionship, it's a great read whether or not you're obsessed with canines. Shondaland.com
Sigrid Nunezs novel delivers an enthralling, emotional tale. Paste Magazine
"The Friend is proof that what we lack is itself a vital part of life and that loss can lead to meaningful connections found in unlikely places. Sometimes it can take an animal to make a person understand their own humanity. And sometimes a book as unexpected as The Friend can provide as much comfort as any canine companion. B&N Review
Quietly brilliant and darkly funny
[The Friend is] rigorous and stark, so elegantso dismissive of conventional notions of plotit hardly feels like fiction. Breathtaking both in pain and in beauty; a singular book. Kirkus, starred review
Riveting
This elegant novel explores both rich memories and day-to-day mundanity, reflecting the way that, especially in grief, the past is often more vibrant than the present. Publishers Weekly
Light, musing, curious, and somehow wonderfully sturdy. Vivian Gornick for Bookforum
Brilliant but informal, sad yet laugh-out-loud funny
This beautiful, spare, work will not disappoint. Bookpage
Nunez offers an often-hilarious, always-penetrating look at writing, grief, and the companionship of dogs. Booklist
"The joys of this novel lie in Nunezs striking capacity to describe the world and its inhabitants, both human and animal. Nunez is a keen observer of behavior, and throughout the text she plants wonderful nuggets that immediately ring true yet still manage to be surprising. Michigan Daily
A slow, poignant meditation on grief, rife with pithy literary myths and quotations
Literature nerds, creative writing students, and dog lovers will find this work delightful. Recommended for literary fiction collections. Library Journal
Nunezs story of a dog and his inadvertent caregiver is a darkly humorous and unsentimental tale of friendship, mourning, and solace.Electric Lit
The intensity and elegance of The Friend mean two thingsyou cannot put it down and you will cry. In a novel about loss and the loneliness of writing and imagination, Sigrid Nunez creates an irresistible tale of love and an unforgettable Great Dane. A beautiful, beautiful bookthe most original canine love story since My Dog Tulip. Cathleen Schine, bestselling author of They May Not Mean To, But They Do