On the Benefits of Friendship

by Isabelle Graw

A diaristic novel on contemporary friendship and its importance.

Isabelle Graw’s latest book reflects on the purposes and struggles of friendship in competitive social milieus. By focusing on her own social milieu—the art world—Graw demonstrates how friendships are neither totally disinterested nor reduceable to their use. Written in the intimate form of a fictional diary, this book laments useful friendships while praising true friendship in all its forms. For Graw, friendship is an existential necessity—if only because it points to how we relate to and depend on others. Friendship, she finds, is as important as the air we breathe—with it, we are able to fully live.

Genres: Nonfiction

144 pages, Paperback

Published April 25, 2023

Reviews

[Repna · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very dry and emotionless. I was curious to know what this generation of women thoughts are on friendships but was heavily disappointed and did not finish the book.

[sarah rose · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe my expectations where, before hand, to high. Even though the topic is very interesting, the language and tone used feel very distant. This approach makes you feel like a mere spectator, making it hard to fully engage.

Despite that, some bits were interesting (at the beginning and end).

[Krystian Woźniak · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting perspective on the complicacy of friendships. The language is a bit pretentious, it could use more of a humane wordbook that will make it more approachable and believable as a fictional diary.

[Pauline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Raw and searching. Painfully honest. A heartbreaking yet vulnerable and truthful account of friendships in the art world, told in a didactic manner. A view into a lost world of late twentieth century art making on the continent.

[Sunny Zhang · Rating 2 out of 5]

slow in the middle but picks up at the end. interesting to view as an immersive art piece but not quite a great perspective provider of friendship given lack of character development

[Abby]

kind of like what reading sheila heti is like if you don’t like sheila heti? not for me

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written in a diary like form during the pandemic, the book has very interesting reflections on art world friendships and their complications