What's the team reading this Summer? - Shonee M Mirchandani, director / "The Friend" by Sigrid Nunez If I meet a customer who appreciates great writing then "The Friend" by Sigrid Nunez is the one book I always recommend they read. But when I try to describe it, it’s not so easy and I’m unable to do it justice. Let’s see, it’s a book about grieving, about love, friendship and above-all about healing. It’s contemplative, philosophical, meditative and, strangely, also an audit ...of all the notable canine-related literature written. The story follows an unnamed woman, our narrator, a silent dog, well an enormous Great Dane called Apollo who’s muteness is caused by the suicide of his master and the woman’s best friend and mentor. Apollo comes to live with our narrator even though dogs are prohibited in her rent-controlled New York City apartment. In the beginning she keeps him more out of a sense of obligation to her friend. But as time passes they develop a bond through their shared loss and she becomes obsessed with caring for him. Her friends worry about her imminent eviction and that her grief is causing her delusion but while troubles never cease, surprising rewards lie ahead for both of them. Perhaps the way I should describe "The Friend" to the next customer is this, life can be hard, lonely and sad. But if you want to be touched by the beauty of words, spend some time listening to a great voice, cheer for the triumph of the human spirit and happen to also love dogs, then try this. 展开
