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To: All the Friends I Killed
After the death of his best friend, a young man vanishes from the United States, seeking a fresh start in France. He stumbles upon work at a vineyard, and thinks he has found a way out in a land of ancestral beauty. But he quickly discovers Europe alone can’t solve his problems. Haunted by his past, he has to come to terms with his own and his society’s expectations of adulthood. Dark enchanted truths about love and friendship complicate the story of how he lost his best friend — a sister, a girlfriend, a lodestar. In this coming-of-age novel, we are faced with the life choices of the millennial generation, the postponement of traditional benchmarks in our twenties, and the queer or asexual attitude towards contemporary loneliness.
144 pages, Paperback
Published May 15, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
May 15, 2022
‘To live my life forward, outside of normal time’
Author Joshua Kent Bookman earned his degrees from Brandeis University and Art Center College of Design, studied composing at Berklee College of Music and languages at Middlebury Italian School, Folkuniversitetet, Syracuse University, and Alliance Française. His debut novel was CLOSE TO ELSEWHERE: STORIES OF TRANSLOCATION AND WHIMSY and now he adds TO: ALL THE FRIENDS I KILLED.
Visit Josh Bookman’s website and discover the spectrum of his talents – in languages, short stories, essays, screenplays, and even tennis lessons! – but the beauty of his prose and insights into character development as demonstrated so well in this his second novel justify his ascending climb on the ladder of literary success. This is a coming of age novel about the millennial generation and Joshua opens with language indicative of that age group – ‘We were playing a new version. Text and seek. Kajsa would text me the coordinate of where she was at, say, a cemetery. I’d show up to the cemetery, she’d be behind the trees, see me, text me another location. She’d already be at a Japanese restaurant, food on the table, waiting with two chopsticks. Kajsa was my sister, but someone I met later in life, after college, when some high school friends had moved, and others lost touch. She acted just like a sister, loyal, and if we had fought, it was temporary. I never considered her a friend, even if that’s what strangers thought she was. The most remarkable of our lives had to be elevated to family…’
Presented in short chapters, numbered in the language of each locale, the plot follows: ‘After the death of his best friend, a young man vanishes form the United States, seeking a fresh start in France. He stumbles upon work at a vineyard, and thinks he has found a way out in a land of ancestral beauty. But he quickly discovers Europe alone can’t solve his problems. Haunted by his past, he has to come to terms with his own and his society’s expectations of adulthood. Dark enchanted truths about love and friendship complicate the story of how he lost his best friend – a sister, a girlfriend, a lodestar. We are faced with the life choices of the millennial generation, the postponement of traditional benchmarks in our twenties, and the queer or asexual attitude towards contemporary loneliness.’
Welcome a young, clear, fresh voice in significant literature. Watch his career ascend. Highly recommended.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book
Author Joshua Kent Bookman earned his degrees from Brandeis University and Art Center College of Design, studied composing at Berklee College of Music and languages at Middlebury Italian School, Folkuniversitetet, Syracuse University, and Alliance Française. His debut novel was CLOSE TO ELSEWHERE: STORIES OF TRANSLOCATION AND WHIMSY and now he adds TO: ALL THE FRIENDS I KILLED.
Visit Josh Bookman’s website and discover the spectrum of his talents – in languages, short stories, essays, screenplays, and even tennis lessons! – but the beauty of his prose and insights into character development as demonstrated so well in this his second novel justify his ascending climb on the ladder of literary success. This is a coming of age novel about the millennial generation and Joshua opens with language indicative of that age group – ‘We were playing a new version. Text and seek. Kajsa would text me the coordinate of where she was at, say, a cemetery. I’d show up to the cemetery, she’d be behind the trees, see me, text me another location. She’d already be at a Japanese restaurant, food on the table, waiting with two chopsticks. Kajsa was my sister, but someone I met later in life, after college, when some high school friends had moved, and others lost touch. She acted just like a sister, loyal, and if we had fought, it was temporary. I never considered her a friend, even if that’s what strangers thought she was. The most remarkable of our lives had to be elevated to family…’
Presented in short chapters, numbered in the language of each locale, the plot follows: ‘After the death of his best friend, a young man vanishes form the United States, seeking a fresh start in France. He stumbles upon work at a vineyard, and thinks he has found a way out in a land of ancestral beauty. But he quickly discovers Europe alone can’t solve his problems. Haunted by his past, he has to come to terms with his own and his society’s expectations of adulthood. Dark enchanted truths about love and friendship complicate the story of how he lost his best friend – a sister, a girlfriend, a lodestar. We are faced with the life choices of the millennial generation, the postponement of traditional benchmarks in our twenties, and the queer or asexual attitude towards contemporary loneliness.’
Welcome a young, clear, fresh voice in significant literature. Watch his career ascend. Highly recommended.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book
June 13, 2022
What a crazy ride! Really enjoyed this— unlike anything I’ve read before.
July 17, 2022
Dreamlike, thoughtful and interesting, especially for such a quick read
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July 30, 2022Good book about friendships between gay men and women. Lovely depictions of Europe.
August 20, 2022
Very much like Josh's previous novel, this too is a collection of delectable moments. Such a beautiful way of talking about friendship, your inner self, doubt and the search for something.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews