A luminous, heartbreaking and life-affirming novel about choosing to die, by National Book Award winner Sigrid Nunez

CHOSEN AS A BEST BOOK OF 2020 BY THE NEW YORK TIMES, TLS, GUARDIAN, NPR, PEOPLE, KIRKUS AND O, THE OPRAH MAGAZINE


'When I open one of Sigrid Nunez's novels, I almost always know immediately: This is where I want to be' New York Times

The woman at the heart of this unforgettable novel finds that everyone she meets has a common need: to have an audience for their experiences. And so she tries to pay attention, to imagine and listen to what those around her are going through. But then an old friend makes an extraordinary request and draws her into an intense and transformative experience of her own.

'Love, death, friendship, compassion and so much wisdom. I just adore Sigrid Nunez' Paula Hawkins

'A true pleasure to read, a novel bursting with wit, warmth and human empathy' Independent

'If the meaning of life is that it ends, Nunez gets to the nub of meaning in her brilliant novel. I loved it as much as The Friend' Susie Steiner

'A riveting picture of friendship' TLS

Nunez's prose is conspiratorial and elegant, whimsical and wise. Alongside a contemplation of mortality are winks: For all its pain and seriousness, life is absurd, comical; we humans are impossible to figure out - and yet so tender