With friends like these, who needs friends?
Three very different books about very different friendships
I’ve consumed two pieces of content lately that corrected my misunderstanding of the old adage “blood is thicker than water.” It doesn’t mean “family comes first” — quite the opposite! The “water” refers to the water of the womb, and the “blood” is the blood shed on the battlefield. So, it’s more in line with “you can’t choose your family, but the people with whom you’ve fought through life are those with whom you’ve forged stronger bonds.”
Any of my family members who are reading this are doing a grimace emoji, but you know what I mean.
Recently, I went nuts over The Details, then happened to read an excellent shall-we-call-it-a-beach-read about a bunch of complicated friendships, and then reached back into my memory for a gripping but still literary page-turner about an intense friendship. From erudite to frothy, that oughtta cover you.
And if you need vacation book recs, hit me up! You know I am happy to oblige.
Check out all my past recommendations, linked to all the past EELSes, in one easy-to-scan spreadsheet!. Click this link, hit “request access,” and if you’re on my subscriber list, it’s yours for the taking.
🌡️The Details
Ia Genberg, Kira Josefsson (translator), 2022
I discovered this gorgeous, short Swedish book when I was reading a bunch of International Booker finalists (see EELS: Small reads for your not-small brains). I inhaled it like a charcuterie board, which is saying something, because I can really go to town on a nicely laid out charcuterie board.
If I may continue this analogy: Like a charcuterie board is not a multi-course meal, there’s no real plot to The Details. But there is a purpose. The narrator examines a handful of interesting people that have made an impact on her life. She gives you details, and in doing so, paints a rich portrait of several lives, including her own. Not all of the people were necessarily good influences, and not all were friends. But you’ll recognize some notes familiar to your own life, I bet.
The last few moments of the book are simply stunning and bring the entire project into focus. Like when you have finished your charcuterie board experience, and you view the detritus in front of you and think, “That was not exactly supposed to be dinner but ended up being just what I wanted.” I’ve taken this metaphor too far, but I really wanted it to work. Also, I’m hungry.
Recommended for: Those who want to revel in language and the human experience.
Recommended format: The audiobook narrator was excellent! And it’s such a quick listen.
🥊 The Knockout Queen
Rufi Thorpe, 2020
I must warn you of violence. Although, as I have mentioned recently, I just read Blood Meridian, so this feels like a P. G. Wodehouse novel in comparison (see EELS: Loafing about).
But! People and friendships are surprising, as this book will tell you. It’s got a little bit of a Sally Rooney vibe, though (sorry, Sally) it moves along a lot faster. Two teenagers with very different families hit it off big time, and they have a lot of secrets to share, and a lot of frigging bones to pick with just about everyone around them. This one truly captures the real sense of blood being thicker than water.
Thanks to JM for the rec!
Recommended for: Those who aren’t afraid to get a little grimy. This is a great summer read — you can feel the sweat and smell the rubber of tires — but it will still stretch your brain.
🦞 The Five-Star Weekend
Elin Hilderbrand, 2023
I would never have picked this up if my angel Gabby had not demanded it of me. The cover sports a lady chilling in a bikini against an aquamarine background! Not my thing! But I’m also mired in two heady books at the moment, so when it popped up as available, I was like, “I have made old Gabs a solemn vow, and honestly, it is very hot out and I am tired of long, cerebral tomes.”
If some books are charcuterie boards, some books are bags of Doritos. If I can go to town on a real-life charcuterie board, I can absolutely murder a bag of Doritos.
And honestly, Dorito Analogy is unfair to this book, which isn’t garbage food (no matter how utterly delicious that orange-powdered garbage food is) (one might say, humankind’s greatest garbage food). It’s about a grieving widow slash food blogging celebrity who brings friends from various eras of her life together for a girls’ weekend. “Sounds like a recipe for… disaster!” I scoffed, about five minutes before another character says the same thing. And that’s why I like this book. Every time I’m like “LOL OK weirdos, that is not real life!” Someone in this book verbalizes the same thought! A self-aware beach book about Nantucket!? I’m really into it!
Recommended for: Those who need a book for vacation and who like lavish descriptions of food. I, personally, enjoy picturing rolling into any Nantucket gathering in my thrifted clothing, but again… there is a character who also enjoys that idea!!
And now, a bonus recommendation
🐕 Because of Winn-Dixie — Kate DiCamillo, 2022
“While you are on the topic of children’s books [see EELS: Two for them and one for you — Ed.], I am shouting out about the book I borrowed from your bag from Seven Hills library. The title is “blank blank Winn Dixie.” Can’t remember the first two words. It is the sweetest book about a girl and her dog. I’d recommend it to all ages. It’s good because you’ll smile a lot and want to gather both the girl and her dog in your arms for a slobbery hug.”
Recommended by: Barbara, who is my mom! I don’t know if she knew I would be using this, but she knows now. The last three books she loved were Rose Code, Killers of the Flower Moon, and A Fever in the Heartland: The Ku Klux Klan's Plot to Take Over America, and the Woman Who Stopped Them.
That was the forty-fifth EELS! As always, send any and all questions, feedback, and shouted book recommendations by hitting reply.
📚 Susan
Correction: Because of Winn-Dixie was published in 2000! That was a holdover from a prior draft!