I have been putting off writing this post because I’ve been feeling discouraged when it came to AYOB. While I’m slowly marching towards 52 books, I feel behind. Then I had myself convinced that despite knowing people read this, no one was actually reading. I mean, even my best friend openly admits she doesn’t read it.

Then, I went to visit my aunt and grandparents this past weekend. My aunt was telling her friends about my blog and then commented that other friends read every post and take the recommendations. I had no idea! Suddenly, I was motivated to write about a book I finished a week ago.

So, this one’s for you, friends of Aunt MaryLynn. Thanks for reading :)

Book Read: The Friend
Author: Sigrid Nunez
Number of Books Read, 2019 Edition: 20

An unnamed woman finds herself as a new dog owner when her closest friend and lifelong mentor passes away. In a rent controlled, no dogs allowed apartment in New York City, she and Apollo, a Great Dane, experience grief together.

As time passes, the woman, a writer, can no longer be away from Apollo for long periods of time. Friends, including three wives, become worried about her attachment, noting that Great Danes don’t have a long life expectancy. Rather than worry about being evicted, the woman and Apollo find comfort in each other, as the narrator meditates on everything from writing, to human-dog relationships, to readers, and who owns a story. Together, they grieve and face a new world.

The Friend was recommended by a former coworker. I trust her, so I put the book on my list to be read later. When we were in Paris, we visited the famous Shakespeare and Company bookstore. I, of course, had to buy a book (they stamp it!), so I picked up this one.

As I’m writing this a week after finishing reading, truthfully, I am still not sure how I feel about it. I definitely didn’t hate it, but I’m not sure I loved it. It was different, and contained little plot. The writing, however, was phenomenal. No matter my feelings about the content and plot, on each page, I found the writing quality to be high. I found myself enjoying the journal styled format more than I thought I would.

This is essentially a letter to a friend who chose to leave. It’s more of a journal, telling a story of grief and closure. Overall, little plot, high quality writing, not a book you’ll stay up reading. I still can’t decide if I recommend it or not.

…I already anticipate my opinion on if you should read the next one. So stay tuned.

^^We also visited Daunt Books in London. Another magical bookstore.

Next Read: Educated by Tara Westover