The Friend Who Got Away: Summary and book reviews of The Friend Who Got Away by Jenny Offill, plus links to an excerpt from The Friend Who Got Away and a biography of Jenny Offill.

Losing a friend can be as painful and as agonizing as a divorce or the end of a love affair, yet it is rarely written about or even discussed. The Friend Who Got Away is the first book to address this near-universal experience, bringing together the brave, eloquent voices of writers like Francine Prose, Katie Roiphe, Dorothy Allison, Elizabeth Strout, Ann Hood, Diana Abu Jabar, Vivian Gornick, Helen Schulman, and many others. Some write of friends who have drifted away, others of sudden breakups that took them by surprise. Some even celebrate their liberation from unhealthy or destructive relationships. Yet at the heart of each story is the recognition of a loss that will never be forgotten. From stories about friendships that dissolved when one person revealed a hidden self or moved into a different world, to tales of relationships sabotaged by competition, personal ambition, or careless indifference, The Friend Who Got Away casts new light on the meaning and nature of women's friendships. Katie Roiphe writes with regret about the period in her life when even close friends seemed expendable compared to men and sex. Mary Morris reveals how a loan led to the unraveling of a lifelong friendship. Vivian Gornick explores how intellectual differences eroded the bond between once inseparable companions. And two contributors, once best friends, tell both sides of the story that led to their painful breakup. Written especially for this anthology and touched with humor, sadness, and sometimes anger, these extraordinary pieces simultaneously evoke the uniqueness of each situation and illuminate the universal emotions evoked by the loss of a friend.

Media Reviews

Booklist - Whitney Scott By breaking the silence about failed friendship so literately, this book appeals to many more readers than just students of interpersonal psychology.   Kirkus Reviews In their mixed-bag but mostly captivating anthology, 20 women reflect on amities that have ended.....One wishes that more of the authors had moved from straightforward autobiography to reflection on the nature of friendship.....A book to savor, despite its imperfections. But think twice before giving it to your best friend.   Library Journal - Wye Mills All but one of the stories relate to friendships between two women, and though sex and romance often figure in, only one story centers on a homosexual relationship. Readers will certainly look for their own experiences in these finely written selections, commissioned especially for this book, and perhaps gain insight into their own losses.   Publishers Weekly Montaigne said friendship "feeds the spirit"; the same applies to this engrossing collection.

Recent Reader Reviews

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• Female Friendships