Among friends

The announcement of a major literary debut: What begins as a celebration takes a sudden turn when a shocking betrayal shatters the trust between families.Exquisitely crafted. John Irving Masterly...Ranges from the most exquisite, Jamesian discriminations to the graspable, all-American solidities of Updike and Richard Yates. This is a writer to watch, with excitement and the highest expectations. John BanvilleWonderful, sly and subtle...Every sentence keeps you hanging in the air, waiting for the next punch to the gut. Wow.Miranda Cowley Heller In the way that a forceful intelligence or an infectious voice or a fresh vision can alter how we observe and answer the world, Among Friends brought me into its cool environs and made me engage my days differently. Its no small accomplishment for a first novel, or for any novel. Richard FordIts an autumn weekend at a comfortable New York country house where two deeply intertwined families have gathered to mark the hosts 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 drinks, dinners, rituals, and games that form their days all reflect the rich bonds between them.This weekend, however, something is different. An unforeseen curdling of envy and resentment will erupt into an unspeakable act, the ramifications of which are enormous. Accusations, denials, and shattered illusions follow, driving wedges between friends, spouses, children and parents, and exposing the treacherous fault lines on which these families have dwelt.Written with hypnotic elegance and molten precision, and announcing the arrival of a major literary talent, Hal Ebbotts Among Friends examines the aftermath of betrayal within the sanctuary of a defining relationship. It explores themes of class, marriage, friendship, and power, as well as the things we tell ourselves to preserve our finely made worlds.