Among Friends

★★★★★★★★½☆ 8.5/10

304 pages

What’s it about?

Emerson and Amos have been friends since their college days. They have maintained this friendship for over thirty years. They gather with their wives and teenage daughters at a country house outside New York City. Something will happen over the weekend that threatens the harmony that they have long counted on.

What did it make me think about?

Friendships.

Should I read it?

If I am to be honest, I did not expect to care for this book. Some people loved it, but many others hated it. It gets 2.9 on Goodreads - that doesn't bode well. But I had chosen it as a Book of the Month pick, and I thought I would read a few pages. Well, I just kept reading. I did not find it difficult to get through at all. It reminded me a little of an Elizabeth Strout novel, except it was told from a male perspective—a unique look into a male friendship. We read a lot of inner dialogue that informs why the characters behave as they do. I suspect this might be tedious for many readers. I found it quite fascinating. I would recommend this with reservations. It is not plot-driven, but it does move along. It is very thoughtful, so if action is your thing- skip it. I hated it and I admired it at the same time. You will understand if you decide to read the story. No spoilers here! I myself am eager to read Hal Ebbott's next book.

A passage I marked

"Each in their own way will think of this drive. They will marvel at its ordinariness, they will search it for signs. Was it already broken? Was it already lost? They will wonder. They will have no idea."