Best Friends Forever by Jennifer Weiner

Jennifer Weiner is one of my favorite authors. She writes funny, complex characters that one can relate to. Whenever I read one of her novels, I am entertained, and sure that I would like to have a drink with her main characters while discussing men, career, or mommy issues.

Best Friends Forever is Weiner’s new #1 bestselling novel. I couldn’t put this book down when I read it last weekend, much to my husband’s annoyance! I love all of Weiner’s novels, but I would rate this as her best novel since Good in Bed with In Her Shoes a close third.

Best Friends Forever is the story of two friends, Addie Downs and Valerie Adler. They meet each other at age 9 when Valerie moves across the street from Addie. They have a close friendship until a traumatic experience ends their friendship in high school. Now after their 15-year reunion, Addie opens her door to find Valerie covered in blood on her doorstep asking for her help.

I loved the way the novel unfolds. The story is set up with Valerie showing up at Addie’s doorstep and then told through flashbacks to see how the two became friends and what exactly ended their friendship. Meanwhile the mystery of the blood soaked Valerie in current days also plays out.

Overall the characters were the best part of the novel. Weiner is a great character writer. Her women are always women I can identify with, know, or at least want to have a drink with. Addie has a weight problem and significant loss in her life. Valerie had a rough childhood with a mother that sometimes forgets to be a mother.

The only negative I had with the book was Jordan (the investigator) and his obsession with the “Nighty-night” lady. I loved Jordan as a character, but really got tired of reading about the Nighty-night lady and his masturbation to her. I just really don’t like reading about masturbation. Maybe it is the secret puritan hiding within me, I’m not sure.

Weiner must have much more exciting reunions then I do. I’ve only had one (my 10-year reunion of the class of 1996), but I don’t think that much excitement was going on. I have been known to miss such things though! After reading Best Friends Forever and In Her Shoes, I kind of wish I could go to one of Weiner’s high school reunions.

I really enjoyed this book and I highly recommend this or any Weiner novel for those that have not read them. Jennifer Weiner has a fantastic blog that I have been reading for years. She is a funny insightful person. As a fellow mother of two, I love reading how she copes with kids and life. I also love how she goes to bat for female writers. My husband gets sick of me discussing how female writers are ignored . . . (why were only male writers the must reads in my high school and college literature classes?). I plan a future blog posting on classics and female writers soon.