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Rich and Pretty by Rumaan Alam

Contemporary fiction

Rich and Pretty

Debut

We love supporting debut authors. Congrats, Rumaan Alam, on your first book!

by Rumaan Alam

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Quick take

My favorite kind of book: the story of a female friendship, which means, of course, that it is a love story.

Why I love it

Rich and Pretty is one of my favorite kinds of books: the story of a female friendship, which means, of course, that it is a love story. Friends are our first loves— the first time we get to say to another person, "I choose you." The first time we feel ourselves chosen. It's such a rush, that recognition, the thrill of a kindred spirit. No wonder our early friendships imprint so strongly: the blurred boundaries, the shared history, the intimacy and neediness that can be both intoxicating and stifling. But, oh, the burden of choice! Because what to do when lives start to diverge and it might be time to unchoose?

Sarah and Lauren, the main characters in this book, have been friends since they were teens. In their early thirties now, they are both convinced the other is navigating adulthood in New York City in all the wrong ways and, as a result, their friendship has suffered. "Like sisters!" everyone has said of these two, except they're not like sisters in one critical way. Unlike sisters, they can choose to uncouple without having to worry about the inevitable holiday gatherings or family command performances. They can continue to neglect their friendship until it's a husk of its former self, or until they drift so far apart they are no longer in each other's sights. Will they? Won't they?

What makes this book such a great read is how Rumaan Alam excavates the interior lives of these women with wit and compassion and an extraordinary eye for the defining details of their individual—and shared—worlds. Not to mention his downright uncanny ear for how friends communicate: what's spoken versus what's implied, the comforting shorthand, the facile barb, the easy affection.

I have exactly zero science to back this up, but I believe-anecdotally and in my gut-that women spend more time pining over (and Googling and Facebook stalking) ex-friends than ex-lovers. (Just me?) It's painful to lose people, but sometimes it's more painful to hold on. That Rich and Pretty addresses the struggles of friendship and adulthood in such a winning way makes this debut novel one of my favorite books of the year so far, and I can't wait to see what Alam does next.

Member ratings (879)

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Contemporary fiction
View all
The Last Love Note
What Does It Feel Like?
Anita de Monte Laughs Last
The Wedding People
Honey
The Leftover Woman
The Same Bright Stars
Bye, Baby
Definitely Better Now
Swan Song
The Days I Loved You Most
The Connellys of County Down
Joe Nuthin’s Guide to Life
Jackpot Summer
Adelaide
I Might Be in Trouble
The Collected Regrets of Clover
Again and Again
Evil Eye
Black Cake
Maame
Romantic Comedy
Someone Else’s Shoes
Once There Were Wolves
We Are the Brennans
The Bad Muslim Discount
What Comes After
Olga Dies Dreaming
Last Summer at the Golden Hotel
Monster in the Middle
Nine Perfect Strangers
The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany
The Girl with Stars in Her Eyes
Honey Girl
In Every Mirror She's Black
Yinka, Where Is Your Huzband?
Sankofa
The Unsinkable Greta James
The Love of My Life
The Five-Star Weekend
A Home for the Holidays
The Wishing Game
Behold the Dreamers
The Mothers
All the Ugly and Wonderful Things
Little Fires Everywhere
The Music Shop
Where’d You Go, Bernadette
The Reckless Oath We Made
When We Were Vikings
The Girl with the Louding Voice
A Good Neighborhood
Big Summer
All Adults Here
Happy & You Know It
Friends and Strangers
The Comeback
True Story
The Last Story of Mina Lee
Troubles in Paradise
White Ivy
This Close to Okay
The Chicken Sisters
The Prophets
In a Book Club Far Away
The Other Black Girl
Apples Never Fall
A Quiet Life
We Are the Light
The Most Likely Club
The Fortunes of Jaded Women
When We Were Bright and Beautiful
The Hotel Nantucket