46 pages 1 hour read

Sally Rooney

Conversations with Friends

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2017

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Part 1, Chapters 1-5Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 1, Chapter 1 Summary

Best friends Bobbi and Frances, college students in Dublin, meet a writer/photographer named Melissa after finishing a spoken word poetry performance together one summer night. The friends met in secondary school, where Frances was a high-achieving loner and Bobbi had a reputation as bold and opinionated to a fault. The two had a close romantic relationship starting at age 17 but broke up after about a year.

Bobbi and Frances are flattered to learn Melissa wants to profile them for a magazine. When the bar closes, Melissa invites Bobbi and Frances back to her house. As the night wears on at Melissa’s elegant home, Frances gradually begins to realize that Melissa is more interested in Bobbi than in her. This comes as no surprise, as Frances has always thought of Bobbi as the more interesting and magnetic one.

Melissa’s husband, a handsome actor named Nick, comes home while the three are talking, but quickly excuses himself. Melissa invites Bobbi and Frances to stay the night in her guest room. As they fall asleep, they can hear the muffled sounds of Melissa and Nick arguing. Days later, Melissa emails Bobbi and Frances and invites them back to her house for dinner.