The Friend

National Book Award Winner, 2018

When a woman unexpectedly loses her lifelong best friend and mentor, she finds herself burdened with the unwanted dog he has left behind. Her own battle against grief is intensified by the mute suffering of the dog, a huge Great Dane traumatized by the inexplicable disappearance of its master, and by the threat of eviction: dogs are prohibited in her apartment building.

About the Author

Sigrid Nunez was born in New York City, the daughter of a German mother and a Chinese-Panamanian father, whose lives she drew on for part of her first novel, A FEATHER ON THE BREATH OF GOD (1995). She went on to write eight more novels, including THE FRIEND (2018), WHAT ARE YOU GOING THROUGH (2020), and THE VULNERABLES (2023). She is also the author of SEMPRE SUSAN: A MEMOIR OF SUSAN SONTAG (2011). Her honors include a 2018 National Book Award, a Rome Prize in Literature, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and a Windham-Campbell Literature Prize. Her work has been translated into 35 languages

It Will Come Back to You

The first ever collection of short stories from the New York Times bestselling, National Book Award-winning author of The Friend

Over the course of thirty years, Sigrid Nunez has become one of contemporary fiction’s most distinctive voices, producing nine penetrating, profound novels celebrated by fans and critics alike. Revered for their warm, unadorned style, Nunez’s books are “as sophisticated as they are straightforward” (New York Times Magazine), melding a “wry, withering wit” (NPR) with “explosions of pathos” (Washington Post) to conjure “world[s] of insight into death, grief, art, and love” (Wall Street Journal).

But she has not, until now, produced a book of stories. In It Will Come Back to You, Nunez brings together thirteen of her best stories from the decades-long sweep of her career, tracing the origins of her style and her remarkable artistic range. Moving from the momentous to the mundane, Nunez maintains her expert balance between gravity and levity while probing the philosophical questions that illuminate her work.

Insightful Author Interviews

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Ruby McConnell

Geologist and science writer crafting compelling, insightful, and engaging tales of Earth’s wonders.

Katie Wall - Book Coach

Professional book coach and editor, dedicated to helping authors craft polished work with expert guidance.

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Discover Works from Our Interviews

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Explore captivating Pacific Northwest books by featured authors through our insightful interviews and uncover the stories behind their creations.