Best of Friends: A Novel Audiobook

“A profound novel about friendship. I loved it to pieces.” —Madeline Miller

“A shining tour de force about a long friendship’s respects, disrespects, loyalties and moralities.” —Ali Smith

From the acclaimed author of Home Fire, the moving and surprising story of a lifelong friendship and the forces that bring it to the breaking point



Zahra and Maryam have been best friends since childhood in Karachi, even though—or maybe because—they are unlike in nearly every way. Yet they never speak of the differences in their backgrounds or their values, not even after the fateful night when a moment of adolescent impulse upends their plans for the future.

Three decades later, Zahra and Maryam have grown into powerful women who have each cut a distinctive path through London. But when two troubling figures from their past resurface, they must finally confront their bedrock differences—and find out whether their friendship can survive.

Thought-provoking, compassionate, and full of unexpected turns, Best of Friends offers a riveting take on an age-old question: Does principle or loyalty make for the better friend?

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"“Shamsie is superb at interweaving personal dilemmas and political realities. . . . Her continually surprising story, in which repercussions have further repercussions, vibrates with contemporary concerns, from social media privacy to immigration. The novel also wisely observes the enigmatic nature of longtime friendships. . . and shows how female power transforms over time. The protagonists will stay in readers’ minds long after this piercingly honest novel concludes."

— Booklist (starred)