Best Friends

Product Information

Oh! I must also mention the epilogue -- so unbelievable and utterly ridiculous. Even now, I am shaking my head in disbelief.

This is a heartbreaking story of friendship and motherhood and I would be lying if I said that it didn't bring me to tears. As a mother of a teenage boy, well, this just really hit close to home. Moment you move from exciting to terrifying. KS has spoken to lots of women. In the book “girl fear”. Vulnerability. Don’t make wrong decision. It's a horrible nightmare -- one that I, personally, cannot contemplate too deeply as a mother of two young boys. And I would be remiss if I did not forewarn readers that the subject matter of this novel is very disturbing at times and may make for a difficult read, particularly for those who are parents. The chapters are narrated by the mothers of the children, Dani, Kendra and Lindsey. But it was easy to forget who was narrating.Zahra is the head of the Centre for Civil Liberties (a “neat narrative arc from suffering through oppressive dictatorship to director of the” CCL), and well known government critic who – and the irony is not entirely albeit mostly lost on her – uses the Courts, the unelected House of Lords, the media (she has BBC journalists on speed dial, a ready seat on Question Time and Guardian profiles on tap), her friendship with celebrities (from pop stars to directors) and the money of upper class donors to oppose the democratically elected government’s increasingly authoritarian tendencies.

The focus of the novel is on the friendship between the two young women, but throughout there is a hint of something nefarious, something dark, that has forever changed the relationship. Although Fellowes offers breadcrumbs of the event throughout, it isn’t fully formed until the very end of the novel, and even then the reader is left to connect-the-dots. The end of the novel answers the questions raised in other areas of the plot, and the deep emotional connection between the characters is understood even more. This is an overall mess and it's my recommendation to skip it if you can. And if you decide to give it a try, most DEFINITELY GET THE AUDIOBOOK. I agree with some other reviewers who mentioned the voices of the three main characters, Kendra, Lindsay, and Dani, were virtually indistinguishable. Though the women grew up together and claimed to be lifelong best friends, their relationships remained very superficial. They were, in fact, often cruel, catty, and vindictive...one of the many reasons I didn't particularly enjoy, or root for, any of them. Her latest novel has some of the same themes, Anglo-Pakistani families and even a (different) fictional Conservative Home Secretary – but does not have the classical underpinning and I think suffers as a consequence and I have to say I found this a disappointing read.

Classic Novels About Friendship

You have friends to lovers books between childhood friends, high school friends, neighbors who are friends, work colleagues who are considered friends, and even friends of one’s siblings. Gah!