Asking for a Friend
Asking for a Friend by Kerry Clare, published by Doubleday Canada on September 5, 2023, is a 312-page novel that delves into the complexities of female friendship. Set against the backdrop of Jess’s tumultuous life in 1998, the story begins as she grapples with personal upheaval. A chance meeting with Clara, an enigmatic figure returning from her travels, sparks an immediate connection that transforms both their lives. As they navigate the challenges of university life and their evolving relationship, they become essential to each other’s journeys.
The narrative unfolds over two decades, exploring themes of love, heartbreak, and the trials of motherhood. As Jess and Clara face various life challenges, including anxiety and isolation, their bond is continually tested. The novel examines whether the foundations of friendship—history, loyalty, and familiarity—can withstand the pressures of growing up and growing apart. Asking for a Friend presents a poignant exploration of the enduring nature of female relationships, inviting readers to reflect on the complexities of connection and the passage of time.
Official synopsis Publisher
For readers of J. Courtney Sullivan and Emma Straub, and for fans of Firefly Lane, comes a poignant and sweeping novel about life, love, and the ever-evolving nature of female friendship by the author of Waiting for a Star to Fall.
The bottom of Jess’s world is falling out. Cocooned in her dorm in the winter of 1998, she’s reeling, and wants to be left alone. But a chance encounter with the older, otherworldly, elusive Clara has Jess awestruck. Clara, newly returned from a two-year trek drifting around the world, is taking a stab at normalcy for once, and the place she starts is university, where she struggles to fit in. Upon meeting Jess, though, Clara feels an instant connection, and everything seems brighter. Soon, the two are inseparable, undeniable necessities in each other’s lives. But when tragedy strikes, they are unceremoniously torn apart, sent tumbling down different paths. And with each passing day, their unbreakable bond is tested more and more.
As they endure love and heartbreak, marriage, anxiety and isolation, and the complicated existence of motherhood, Jess and Clara must learn how to love each other through it all—and whether growing up inevitably means growing apart.
Spanning two decades, Asking for a Friend follows the tempestuous journey of female friendship, exploring whether its fundamentals—history, familiarity, loyalty—are enough to make the relationship everlasting.
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