Conversations with Friends

..or lack of meaningful “Conversations” - this book is about vulnerability, acceptance, and opening oneself up. Getting away from something surface level, or internalizing everything. This book is about 4 people and their intertwining relationships. Frances and Bobbi who are best friends and were/are in a relationship meet with a cool older couple, Nick and Melissa. The relations get complicated, and Frances struggles with it all.

All the characters in this novel feel real, flawed, and authentic. Rooney writes the close to awkwardness and uncomfortability set within the novel and between the characters so well. Frances thinks so deliberately and oddly, like planning to remember things for the sake of other people.

Apart from the above, and the good writing - I wasn’t sure what else to make of the novel. Is no real character development really okay? Maybe that’s the point - but nothing seemed to persuade me overall that I should really care about the characters.

I thought this quote: “The moment I meet an attractive woman, I have to start pretending I have no desire to make love to her.” captures a lot - pretending essentially means that you have no control over it, so you have to become an actor and keep your cool under the lights. You ca’n’t have a real conversation in that state, because you’re not real with that person who you have to pretend to.

Some words I loved: Apropos: with reference to; concerning Sallow: (of a person’s face or complexion) An unhealthy yellow or pale brown color Austere: Severe or strict in manner, attitude, or appearance Petulant: Childishly sulk or bad tempered