Friends and Strangers by J. Courtney Sullivan: Book Review

There are few life-altering events that create personal change as much as having a new baby. As a new mother sleep deprivation, hormonal changes and concern regarding meeting the baby’s needs can be overwhelming. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could have someone to take over while we had some “me time”? Friends and Strangers provides insight into one such relationship. Told from the dual narrative of Elisabeth and Sam, we learn that sometimes who we perceive as friends are actually more like strangers.

Elisabeth is a best-selling author and journalist who has recently had her first baby. She and her husband Andrew have recently moved away from New York City after 20 years and have settled in the same small home town that Andrew grew up in. She is suffering from sleep deprivation as baby Gil is awake much of the night. She is under contract to write her next book and needs time away from her domestic duties in order to get this done. She finds Sam, a senior student at the local women’s college who agrees to babysit for her three days a week. Much of this time Elisabeth is not writing, but rather spending some quality time sleeping or visiting places she loves.

Sam has some decisions to make as she finishes her senior year. She is torn between moving to London to live with an older man who loves her and building her career in the U.S. where she will likely have the most opportunities. She is unsure of her feelings for this man. As the relationship she builds with Elisabeth becomes more friendly then about employment, she discusses her feelings about him. After all, Elisabeth has the wisdom that comes with age. Sam’s relationship with Elisabeth’s family becomes so friendly that she also befriends Elisabeth’s father in law who provides Sam with some insight she wasn’t expecting to gain.

I thoroughly enjoyed this well developed book. It addresses several complex issues surrounding infertility, family relationships, motherhood, racism and politics to name just a few. It is a highly engaging read and I appreciated the excellent character development of our two female protagonists. The book did have a slow build, but my belief is that this led to the reader having a greater appreciation of the characters’ complexities.

I listened to the audiobook version of the book which was narrated by Kate Rudd. She provides a believable, entertaining performance which I felt contributed to my opinion of this book. The quality of her voice and articulation was very good. I appreciated having this audiobook available to me from my local library.

My rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️/5.