‘Conversations With Friends’ is by Irish author, Sally Rooney.
Frances is twenty-one years old, cool-headed and observant. A student in Dublin and an aspiring writer, at night she performs spoken word with her best friend Bobbi, who used to be her girlfriend. When they are interviewed and then befriended by Melissa, a well-known journalist who is married to Nick, an actor, they enter a world of beautiful houses, raucous dinner parties and holidays in Provence, beginning a complex ménage-à-quatre. But when Frances and Nick get unexpectedly closer, the sharply witty and emotion-averse Frances is forced to honestly confront her own vulnerabilities for the first time.
‘Conversations with Friends’ is an excellent book and it’s not even the book that Sally recently won all the book awards for, I’ve also that book to look forward to in my TBR pile.
The story is seen through the narrative of young poet Frances who shares the stage with her ex-girlfriend and best friend Bobbi, together they aspire to take Ireland’s literary scene by storm. One day, they are interviewed by Melissa, a woman they are both in awe off and Frances finds herself falling for Melissa’s husband Nick. A charming and successful actor that everyone loves, including Frances who finds herself embroiled in an illicit affair with Nick, even though they try to stay away from each other.
To put it simply, I really enjoyed this story. Sally Rooney has a lovely, fresh way of writing that really pulls the reader in and engages them in the story. Frances is a complex character as she battles with the guilt of falling for a married man as well as the struggles of a broken family and ex-girlfriend for a best friend, who seems to know Frances’ every thought. Frances is also a relatable character, as she deals with issues that we all had to face in life, where we worried about the uncertainty of chosen careers and relationships.
A complex and honest story about the struggles of relationships and burdens of life, ‘Conversations With Friends’ is a witty and observational story about love and finding your place in life that is cleverly written with humour and compassion.
You can buy ‘Conversations With Friends’ from Amazon and is available to buy from good bookshops.