WINNER OF THE 2018 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD and a NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER: a moving story of love, friendship, grief, healing, and the magical bond between a woman and her dog.

'A beautifulbook . . . crammed with a world of insight into death, grief, art and love' WallStreet Journal


When a womanunexpectedly loses a lifelong friend and mentor to suicide, she finds herselfburdened with the unwanted dog he has left behind. Her own battle against griefis intensified by the mute suffering of the dog, a huge Great Dane that hadbeen devoted to its suddenly vanished master, and by the threat of eviction:dogs are prohibited in her apartment building. TheFriend is both a meditation on friendship, loss andbereavement, and a celebration of the wonder and healing power of thehuman-canine bond.


'A pitch-perfectnovel . . . Wry and moving, The Friend is a love story, amania story, and a recovery story' Vanity Fair


'An intimate, beautiful thing, humming withinsight' The Economist


'Dry, allusive,charming . . . Nunez has an interesting mind, and she shakes the dust fromevery topic - grief, writing, academia, sexual politics - she picks up' New York Times Critics' Top Books of2018


'A sneaky gutpunch of a novel . . . a consummate example of the human-animal tale' Harper'sMagazine

A moving story of love, friendship, grief, healing, and the magical bond between a woman and her dog

ONE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES BEST 100 BOOKS OF THE 21ST CENTURY
WINNER OF THE 2018 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD
SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2020 INTERNATIONAL DUBLIN LITERARY AWARD

'A true delight: I genuinely fear I won't read a better novel this year' FINANCIAL TIMES

'Loved this. A funny, moving examination of love, grief, and the uniqueness of dogs' GRAHAM NORTON

'Delicious' SUNDAY TIMES 100 BEST SUMMER READS
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When a woman unexpectedly loses her lifelong best friend and mentor, she finds herself burdened with the unwanted dog he has left behind. Her own battle against grief is intensified by the mute suffering of the dog, a huge Great Dane, and by the threat of eviction: dogs are prohibited in her apartment building.

Isolated from the rest of the world, increasingly obsessed with the dog's care, determined to read its mind and fathom its heart, she comes dangerously close to unravelling. But while troubles abound, rich and surprising rewards lie in store for both of them.
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'Very, very clever. Mature. Entertaining. Eminently readable and re-readable. Absolutely delightful' IRISH TIMES

'I loved it . . . It's one of my favourite books and it moved me' WHOOPI GOLDBERG

'A perfect novel . . . It's my favorite kind of masterpiece - one you can put into anyone's hand' EMMA STRAUB

A New York Times Notable Book of 2018 * A Financial Times 2018 Best Book: Critics Pick * A Buzzfeed Best Book of 2018 * A Bustle Best Fiction Book of 2018 * An NPR Best Book of 2018