Among Friends

By Hal Ebbott

Book Overview

NAMED ONE OF THE NEW YORKER'S "BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR SO FAR"

"Stylish and assured....Ebbott's prose is honed and aphoristic, recalling the work of James Salter and John Cheever...The sentences go down easy...but there is substance beneath the gleaming surfaces." --Washington Post

"Acutely perceptive and beautifully written...A living thing...A huge achievement." --The Financial Times

"Finely calibrated... A]s discerning as it is pitiless." --The New Yorker

What begins as celebration gives way to betrayal, shattering the trust between two families

It's an autumn weekend at a comfortable New York country house where two deeply intertwined families have gathered to mark the host's fifty-second birthday.

Together, the group forms an enviable portrait of middle age. The wives and husbands have been friends for over thirty years, their teenage daughters have grown up together, and the dinners, games, and rituals forming their days all reflect the rich bonds between them.

This weekend, however, something is different. An unforeseen curdling of envy and resentment will erupt in an unspeakable act, the aftermath of which exposes treacherous fault lines upon which they have long dwelt.

Written with hypnotic elegance and molten precision, and announcing the arrival of a major literary talent, Hal Ebbott's Among Friends examines betrayal within the sanctuary of a defining relationship, as well as themes of class, marriage, friendship, power, and the things we tell ourselves to preserve our finely made worlds.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0593854195
• ISBN13: 9780593854198
• Release Date: June 2025
• Publisher: Riverhead Books
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 1.03 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 5.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Ugh...This Book Was Not It

The writer seems more interested in adjective use to describe the surroundings than telling a story. The characters aren't fleshed out very well...It hints at their pasts and their emotions, but it doesn't really go in depth to who they are and what formed them. The story is disjointed and jumps around a lot. I made it through the whole book, but for me, it's never a good sign when I keep checking what page I'm on and how many are left. On top of that, I was incredibly disappointed in the ending. The adults in the story had no redeeming qualities. I'm not one to expect a happy ending from all of my books, but this was the worst possible ending.

No. Nope. No. Save your money and time lol.

Got this on Book of the Month. Disappointing. Fragmented and unclear writing made it hard to follow who was speaking. Rereading lines repeatedly and couldn’t even make it past Chapter 1. Won’t be donating this—will trash it. Glad to know there is a mass consensus who are in agreement with my thoughts.