37 pages 1 hour read

Sigrid Nunez

The Friend

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2018

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Essay Topics

1.

Though the narrator’s deceased friend is described as something of a womanizer, the relationship between the two is (for the most part) platonic. How does their relationship differ in portrayal from other, more romantic relationships?

2.

Throughout the novel, Apollo the dog becomes a vehicle which helps the narrator process her complicated emotions. How is this depicted in the text?

3.

By the penultimate chapter, it has become clear that there is a deft structural change to the narrative. How does this change affect the reading of the book, particularly in relation to the narrator?