Synopses & Reviews
Some bonds can never be broken...
Addie Downs and Valerie Adler will be best friends forever. That's what Addie believes after Valerie moves across the street when they're both nine years old. But in the wake of betrayal during their teenage years, Val is swept into the popular crowd, while mousy, sullen Addie becomes her school's scapegoat.
Flash-forward fifteen years. Valerie Adler has found a measure of fame and fortune working as the weathergirl at the local TV station. Addie Downs lives alone in her parents' house in their small hometown of Pleasant Ridge, Illinois, caring for a troubled brother and trying to meet Prince Charming on the Internet. She's just returned from Bad Date #6 when she opens her door to find her long-gone best friend standing there, a terrified look on her face and blood on the sleeve of her coat. "Something horrible has happened," Val tells Addie, "and you're the only one who can help."
Best Friends Forever is a grand, hilarious, edge-of-your-seat adventure; a story about betrayal and loyalty, family history and small-town secrets. It's about living through tragedy, finding love where you least expect it, and the ties that keep best friends together.
Compact Disk Includes a bonus MP3 CD of Jennifer Weiner's Little Earthquakes!
Review
"Jennifer Weiner's latest novel, Best Friends Forever, is not leaving the special shelf where it's already wedged in with other books I reread every so often because they just make me happy - novels such as Jeanette Haien's Matters of Chance, Susan Isaacs' Shining Through, Kingsley Amis' Lucky Jim, most of Barbara Pym's novels, and, of course, Pride and Prejudice. [What] earns it a place on my treasured "reread as needed" shelf is its tough emotional wisdomÉAddie's story rates a second (and, perhaps, even a third) read, too, because its unrelenting depiction of loneliness, as well as the myriad ways people can surprise themselves and each other, deserves to be savored, again and again." -- The Philadelphia Inquirer
Review
"In Addie, Weiner has created a steely, sympathetic narrator who is vulnerable but not pathetic, unwilling to settle for disappointment despite the bad hand that most of her 33 years have dealt. The novel is a welcome addition to the author's collection of tales about strong, clever women who carve their own niche in this world -- much like Weiner." -- The Miami Herald
Review
"Addie Downs - the Everygirl at the center of Jennifer Weiner's latest novel - just could turn out to be one of our favorite heroines of the summer...Another superlative novel by Weiner, about a big girl with a bigger heart, that will have women and men of all sizes cheering." -- USA Today
Review
"Weiner's latest showcases her talent for creating richly drawn, realistic characters. She deftly weaves in multiple back stories and subplots and punctuates the story with plenty of humor. Highly recommended for all fans of women's fiction." -- Library Journal, starred review
Review
"Former mousy types, rejoice! In Weiner's delicious latest, a popular girl hits trouble long after high school and only the geeky pal she once shunned can help." -- People magazine
Review
"This beach read will win readers over with its wit and wisdom. A clever, sad and sweet turn on Thelma and Louise [with] what may be the funniest not-quite-heist ever pulled off ..." -- Publishers Weekly
Review
"Warmly and realistically drawn... Weiner, creator of widely popular female characters, injects an element of suspense into her latest, Best Friends Forever. This book begins on an unexpected note of violence, but the friendship of the title is at its heart. Two estranged onetime high-school chums -- one now a television weathergirl and the other one of Ms. Weiner's lovable, snack-obsessed frumps -- are thrown together to find out what happened in that opening scene and to hash out old grievances. Weiner writes comfortably about the real world." -- Janet Maslin, The New York Times
Review
"Jennifer Weiner is a master of the modern-day fairytale. In best-selling chick-lit romps like In Her Shoes, her heroines look just like us: self-deprecating, plagued by those few extra pounds - and ready for Prince Charming only once they've embraced their quirks. Weiner's latest effort is no exception, this time following a pair of friends - one fat, one thin - over two decades." -- Marie Claire
Review
"The must-have beach read... In popular chick-lit-with-a-pulse author Jennifer Weiner's newest novel, Best Friends Forever, two childhood gal pals suffer a teenage-falling-out but reunite for an unexpected female-bonding adventure." -- Elle magazine
Review
"A hilarious caper... resplendent in charm and poignancy...Weiner handles sorrow with a deft touch, blossoms in beautifully descriptive passages, and keeps readers glued to the page with curiosity and delight." -- Booklist, starred review
Synopsis
Jennifer Weiner's newest novel, BEST FRIENDS FOREVER, " "depicts the nuances of female friendship with her incomparable humor and heart.
Synopsis
Bestselling author Jennifer Weiner’s dazzling new novel Best Friends Forever explores the impact of love, desire, and familial loss on a friendship between two young women, and how the choices they make will change their lives forever.One of the nation’s most beloved and successful writers of women’s fiction, Jennifer Weiner has become a literary phenomenon with millions of copies of her books in print. Her latest work, Best Friends Forever will delight fans and critics alike, following the ups and downs of a long-time friendship between two young girls who grow up to be two very different women. Addie Downs and Valerie Adler were eight when they first met and decided to be best friends forever. But, in the wake of tragedy and betrayal during their teenage years, everything changed. Val went on to fame and fortune. Addie stayed behind in their small Midwestern town. Destiny, however, had more in store for these two. And when, twenty-five years later, Val shows up at Addie’s front door with blood on her coat and terror on her face, it is the beginning of a wild adventure for two women joined by love and history who find strength together that they could not find alone.
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About the Author
Jennifer Weiner is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of eleven books, which have spent a combined five years on the bestseller list, with over 15 million copies in print in thirty-six countries. Her iconic debut Good in Bed is now in its fifty-ninth printing. In Her Shoes was turned into a major motion picture starring Cameron Diaz, Toni Collette, and Shirley MacLaine. All Fall Down has become one of the best-reviewed novels of 2014, and is hailed as “compulsively readable” by The New York Times Book Review. A graduate of Princeton University, she lives with her family in Philadelphia. Visit her online at JenniferWeiner.com.
Reading Group Guide
Introduction "If time was a dimension, and not a straight line, if you could look down through it like you were looking through water and it could ripple and shift, I was already opening the door," says Addie Downs in her first chapter of Best Friends Forever. It's been years since Addie has seen her long-lost best friend Valerie Adler. Addie and Val became instant best friends when Val moved into Addie's neighborhood in the small town of Pleasant Ridge, Illinois. Ripped apart by betrayal their senior year of high school, they are reunited fifteen years later when Val shows up at Addie's door asking for help.
In her sixth novel, Jennifer Weiner crafts a story full of mystery, humor, love, and forgiveness through the prism of female friendship.
Questions and Topics for Discussion
1. "In all my years of fuming and resentful imagining, all the years I'd carried my grudge like a pocketbook I was afraid to set down even for an instant, I'd never considered that there might be a different way of looking at the situation, another truth," says Addie of seeing Valerie after many years have passed (on page 96). What does this say about friendships? About personal relationships? About forgiveness?
2. Addie, who suffered from years of insecurity prompted by emotional eating and teasing, often perceives Val as her antithesis. Does this make her a reliable narrator for the story of their friendship? How were Addie's feelings about herself as a teenager based on what she thought of Val?
3. One of the major themes in this novel is the idea of transformation. Cite examples of how people transform both internally and externally. Who changes by way of fate? Who chooses to change?
4. Compare and contrast how the girls are shaped by their relationships with their respective mothers. How are Val and Addie similar to or different from their mothers?
5. Val's father is absent, while Addie's father is physically present, but can be emotionally distant, retreating from his family to his work space. How are Val and Addie shaped by the relationships they have with their fathers? Are there examples of either of them emulating those relationships with men?
6. From Jordan's baby-proof home to Kevin Oliphant's "shitbox," describe how a character's space, seen through the eyes of Jordan, may have impacted how you felt about him or her.
7. The novel is filled with different versions of the same stories. While investigating Dan Swansea's disappearance, Jordan comes upon different perceptions of the same people. How does this illustrate the difference between the stories we tell ourselves and what is actually happening? Does this make it easier for Addie's classmates to point the finger at Jon?
8. From Addie's stay-at-home father to Patti's Guatemalan baby, what do you think the author is saying about alternative families?
9. Why do you think Addie chooses to keep her baby?
10. In Best Friends Forever, characters' lives are often marked by moves. Valerie moves into Addie's neighborhood, Jordan and Patti move to Pleasant Ridge to start a family. How does the author use this notion to further the plot?
11. The balance of power often shifts between Addie and Valerie. Cite examples when the balance is in Valerie's favor. When is the balance in Addie's favor?
12. On page 216, Mrs. Bass tells Jordan that he has "a great deal to learn about human nature." How is this illustrated with other characters in the novel? Is it at all? What does this tell us about the overall theme of the novel? About the people in the small town of Pleasant Ridge?
13. "I wondered sometimes whether it had to do with Jon. Maybe they hated me because they couldn't hate him," Addie says on page 227, attempting to make sense of why she's a target of bullying. Do you agree with Addie? Do you think she's making excuses for her classmate's cruelty?
14. On page 121, Addie describes Jon as someone who would "never grow up, never have to worry about the things grown-ups worried about." Why do you think the idea of never growing up is such a comfort to Addie?
Tips to Enhance Your Book Club Experience
1. Imagine a road trip with a long lost friend. What would it be like? Where would the two of you go?
2. Is there a long-lost friend you dream of getting back in touch with? Tell the group about this friend, why you grew apart, and what you think it would be like to get back in touch.
3. Go to a social networking site such as Facebook.com and see if you can find old friends you've lost touch with. Are you surprised by how their lives turned out, or are they pretty much what you'd imagined?
Author Q&A
1. Did writing Goodnight Nobody prepare you for the facets of mystery in Best Friends Forever: the investigation, the crime, the Thelma and Louise-like road trip?
Writing Goodnight Nobody definitely helped. So did talking to the detectives who were nice enough to walk me through investigatory procedure (and to okay the liberties I planned on taking). I think the best part of researching this book was going to see the Lower Merion Township jail, which not only has a video setup for long-distance arraignments (the suspect stands in front of one camera and the judge, at home, in front of another), but also features the federally mandated handicapped-accessible holding cell, which was absolutely too good not to use in the book.
2. Some of the same negative forces in Addie's life -- Val and Vijay specifically -- were also positive forces. Is that what you wanted your readers to take away from her experiences?
I think you can learn from any experience and any person, even the ones that hurt you so badly that you don't think you'll be able to survive them at the time. So yes, insofar as I had a message (and really, I cringe at the idea of books that try too hard to "teach" you something, and are not textbooks), the message was that you can survive anything life throws at you -- a parent's death, a friend's betrayal, a boyfriend who breaks your heart -- and come out stronger on the other side.
3. Before she dies, Addie's mother tells her, "There's all kinds of love in the world, and not all of it looks like the stuff in greeting cards." It seems like this is a metaphor for the entire novel. What are you trying to get across about the nature of love, forgiveness, and faith?
When Addie's mother is talking to her about love, Addie (and the reader) might assume that she's talking about romance. I like to think that what she's really talking about is Valerie, who betrayed Addie, and was herself betrayed by Addie. I think if she'd had more time, Nancy might have told her daughter that there aren't too many people you meet who you'll know and love for as long as you're alive. You won't have your parents around for your whole life, or your children...but a good friend can be forever.
4. There are some comedic references to religious faith, particularly with Val and Chip Mason, and Dan Swansea is literally bombarded by faith. Why did you include this religious component?
When I wrote this book, I was thinking about religion, and the way God (at least the God in the Old Testament) tests people. Addie is kind of my version of Job -- the person who has everything taken away, who is tested, seemingly at random. I wanted to answer the question: what happens to a woman who's an outcast to start with, and who loses everything she loves -- her brother, her best friend, her parents, her boyfriend? How does she find the strength to go on? I guess the answer -- she finds her strength in friendship -- suggests that maybe friendship is its own kind of faith, its own kind of religion.
5. As the story progresses, Dan becomes more of a catalyst for reuniting Val and Addie than an actual problem. Is that the direction you'd intended for his character to take, or did he surprise you?
Oh, Dan! He gave me so much trouble! There was a version of the book where he did die in that parking lot. There was another version where he was kidnapped and tortured by a bunch of angry feminists masquerading as a book club (because nobody suspects the book club!). It took me a long time and about a half-dozen drafts before I figured out that he wasn't a main character as much of a catalyst -- a means to an end instead of an end in himself. Which is comeuppance enough for a former BMOC, right?
6. You've explored close female relationships in all of your books. What made you want to delve into the land of female friendships?
I was interested in the idea of friendship as a choice. I've written a lot about the relationships you don't choose: mothers and daughters, mothers and daughter-in-laws, sisters, new mothers and babies...with this book, I wanted to write about a relationship that you can opt into and out of.
Plus, like many women, I've had the experience of the friend who got away -- the person you thought would always be part of your life, and then isn't, because you had a falling-out over whatever (with "whatever," at least in my experience, usually being a boy). Or you got married and she didn't, or she had kids and you didn't, or whatever. I think that's an experience that many women have, and I was really interested in seeing how it would play out in a novel.
7. In Best Friends Forever, similar to some of your previous titles, the darker plot twists -- cancer, obesity, rape, neglect -- are peppered with humor. Do you consciously balance those elements as you write?
Actually, not really -- it's not as if I'm thinking, "ooh, this part was really dark, better throw in a joke," or "time for a serious scene to balance out the funny"! I think it's just the way I'm wired, that my stories unfold with both humor and pathos...and I think I'm wired that way because of my own life, where, with every awful thing that happened, my mother would always tell me, "You'll laugh about this someday!" or "It's all material!"
8. At one point, Addie is stripped of all her personal relationships. Do you think that's what she needed to engage in the world around her?
Again, I saw Addie as my Job -- the woman who was going to lose everything in order to rebuild a better life (actually, maybe instead of Job, she's the Six Million Dollar Woman -- "Gentlemen, we can rebuild her!").
9. We get our first glimpse of Addie's newly designed home through the eyes of Jordan. He describes it specifically on page 223 as a "place made for pleasure." What kind of research did you do regarding home design? Do Addie's design choices reflect your own?
I did the usual -- looked through a lot of home magazines, thought a lot about the kind of choices Addie would make -- and because she's an artist, she'd probably make better choices than I do. But I wanted there to be a clear contrast between her home and Jordan's -- specifically, I wanted him to live in a place that was totally alienating, where he couldn't open the cabinets or unlock the oven, and for Addie's place to feel very inviting and open.
10. The end of the novel leaves a lot of room for a sequel. Are you thinking of continuing Addie and Valerie's story? I'll have to see if they keep talking to me!