A Friend of the Family

by Lauren Grodstein

Shipping to the U.S. only. Please see our International FAQ for more information.

$13.95

Also available at

The New York Times bestseller that “unfolds with suspense worthy of Hitchcock . . . Grodstein is a terrific storyteller.” —The New York Times Book Review

Pre-order author Lauren Grodstein's new simply can't-be-missed novel, We Must Not Think of Ourselves, coming November 28, 2023. A truly unforgettable story about the fight...
Read More

Published By Algonquin Books

Format Paperback

Number Of Pages 320

Publication Date 11/09/2010

ISBN 9781616200176

Dimensions 5 inches x 8 inches


"The moving, complex, beautifully written story of a good man who's slowly losing his grip on his life and his family, A Friend of the Family unfolds with unerring precision." —Kate Christensen, author of Trouble

“With suspense worthy of Hitchcock . . . Grodstein is a terrific storyteller.” —The New York Times Book Review

— The New York Times Book Review

“The novel is spot-on in its depiction of affection and jealousy among longtime friends; boozy suburban bashes; unrequited love; and adjusting to middle age . . . A Friend of the Family beautifully captures the ever-striving angst of parents who will take any step to ensure their children's lives are easier or better. Parents sweating through a teen's college applications would do well to spend some time with Dr. Pete.” —USA Today

— USA Today

“Grodstein’s harsh, honest prose makes this haunting tale worthwhile.” —People

— People Magazine

"Stunning . . . She has written a novel that will leave her readers sitting up, sifting the evidence in the dead of night." —The Boston Globe
— The Boston Globe

“Absorbing . . . an incisive diagnosis of aspirational America . . . What Grodstein captures so strikingly is the anxiety of a father's love, that aching affection . . . Grodstein never pushes these characters into caricatures. She has a sharp ear for the discordant tones of conversations between parents and their almost adult children . . . Grodstein is such a perceptive and knowing critic of suburbia that I kept expecting to see her driving slowly up and down my street peering in the windows . . . The last 50 pages of the novel swell to such a gripping climax . . . Horrifyingly plausible and deeply poignant, A Friend of the Family will leave you shaken and chastened—and grateful for the warning.” —Washington Post

— Washington Post

“Gripping . . . [Grodstein] has succeeded in shattering the image of surburban happiness.” --Chicago Tribune

— McSweeney’s

"Involving at every level: character, plot, language. one of the more complicated portraits of a father’s love for his son we’ve ever read . . . highly recommended.”--McSweeney's
— People

“Grodstein’s harsh, honest prose makes this haunting tale worthwhile.” --People
— The New York Times Book Review

“Unfolds with suspense worthy of Hitchcock . . . [Grodstein] is a terrific storyteller.” --The New York Times Book Review
— The Washington Post Book World

"Horrifyingly plausible and deeply poignant, A Friend of the Family will leave you shaken and chastened—and grateful for the warning.” --The Washington Post Book World