Ouch. A radical warts and all dissection of the friendship ties that bind and how early friendships can form and affect your whole life. Two girls are friends in 1990s Pakistan, from different classes and with different aspirations who are caught up in an incident that has repercussions for their older selves, successful businesswomen in modern London. This books is written with a fierce clarity and affection, and the friendship reads so very true from the beginning to the end. Powerful stuff, read it and weep for the youthful friendships and their adult equivalents.

Maryam and Zahra are teenage girls growing up in Karachi in the late 1980s when Benazir Bhutto is democratically elected after the death of dictator General Zia. Both are inspired by the progressive future that thirty-five year old Bhutto seems to promise, but both are also dealing with the rise of what Maryam calls ‘girlfear’: the growing realisation that they cannot move through the world in the same way as men. And although they are close friends, both from relatively privileged backgrounds, they are at heart very different: wealthy Maryam is heir to her family’s leather business, dreaming of one day taking her grandfather’s place, while middle-class, idealistic Zahra wants to go to Cambridge and be a lawyer. The slow trace of desire and unease as the girls recognise their awakening sexuality is very well done, setting Best of Friends apart from many similar coming-of-age novels; as does the evocation of the particular experience of being a teenager in this place, in this time.

Kamila Shamsie’s previous novel, Home Fire, was remorseless and explosive; given that, I’m not surprised that she wanted to write something rather gentler, with lower stakes. Nevertheless, I liked the development of Maryam and Zahra’s relationship as they move away from their early years and become successful forty-something women in London. I’ve said before that Shamsie’s writing can be heavy-handed, and that isn’t totally absent here; sometimes she spells out exactly what she wants to say about friendship rather than letting the reader realise it. ‘Childhood friendship really was the most mysterious of all relationships… it was built around rules that didn’t extend to any other pairing in life’. However, there are also more thought-provoking observations, such as the description of two elderly women walking together that is allowed to speak for itself.

And while Maryam and Zahra at first appear to be differentiated rather schematically from each other, I thought both grew into much richer characters. I was especially heartened by how seriously Shamsie takes Zahra’s political and moral commitments. Writers often suggest that, when it really comes down to it, what’s ‘real’ is your love for your friends and family and that will always come first. That’s definitely Maryam’s view, but it’s not Zahra’s – or at least, her definition of those she loves stretches much further than those who are personally known to her. As Maryam and Zahra approach their moment of reckoning, it’s clear that what sets them apart isn’t jealousy or petty resentment but a real difference in their core values, which is so refreshing after reading so many novels like Anna Hope’s Expectation, which boil down problems in female friendship to grudges over men or children.

I didn’t think Shamsie quite hit the emotional climax she wanted to in this novel, but it’s an absorbing read that, for me, moves far away from the problems I had with her earlier historical fiction, Burnt Shadows and A God In Every Stone, even if it doesn’t quite reach the heights of Home Fire.

I was excited to get the opportunity to read this novel by this acclaimed author, a former women's fiction prize winner. The story starts in Karachi with political unrest and an unscrupulous government and 2 teenage girls trying to understand the changes that are happening to them and around them.
An incident then occurs that has a significant impact on both girls. The story then jumps 20 years or so and picks up with the success of the pair in London. It tells of their continued friendship despite being such different characters. The ending of the story is disappointing and seems rushed and poorly thought out compared with the initial promise of the novel.

Best of Friends
By Kamila Shamsie

This book holds so much promise, the tested bonds of friendship, 1980s Pakistan around the time that the country was on the brink of gender equality, or was it? Present day London in the penumbra of Brexit. However this was such a difficult read for me. I actually enjoyed the first part of the story while Maryam and Zahra and their families still lived in Karachi, but even that was a struggle to get through. The writing style was very confused. How many times did I go back to reread passages to try and figure out who was talking? The narrative was jittery, as though it was badly translated from another language, or as though the author was trying to be philosophical or rhetorical, and it just didn't land, for me anyway. By the time the story had moved onto London, I found it even harder to understand and this impacted so much on my enjoyment.

What I liked: I was interested in the nature of the "friendship" between Maryam and Zahra. My understanding is that the girls had incorrectly named their status and that what they had was actually described by the Moniker they had sarcastically devised as young children. They were like double agents in their own toxic friendship.

I like the message about girl danger, and I think that the build up to the pivotal event is very well done. It drove me mad that both girls allowed that event to dictate so much of the rest of their lives. I like the way vengefulness is addressed and how the author handles the dichotomy of who and what each girl thinks the other is.

I get the story, I think I understand the message the author was describing, however it felt like it needed more to make the novel viable, I think it needed clearer writing and less frippery.

Thanks to #nergalley and #bloomsburypublishingplc for the eARC

'Best of Friends' starts in Pakistan during the final year of General Zia's dictatorship. Maryam and Zahra are teenagers from wealthy families, with a bright future ahead of them. They are also best friends with each other, despite early signs of strain on the friendship as they mature and their beliefs and interests diverge. Events come to a head at a party celebrating the election of a female president, drawing to a close their carefree existence in Pakistan. The story then picks up thirty years later, with the two women still best friends and living in the UK, both with successful careers. However events from the past are about to catch up with them and test their friendship again.

It is a nicely written book that is well paced and easy to read without being mindless. Zahra and Maryam are interesting, rounded characters and are sympathetic. I could believe in them both as characters and the way their viewpoints contrasted - Maryam pragmatic and cynical, Zahra idealistic and passionate - gave a nice balance to the novel. Although it is primarily a novel about friendships and the lines we will (and won't) cross, there is also an interesting side theme about online privacy and how governments can use/misuse our data. Although political events form the backdrop to the novel, it's not a book about politics or history - historical events are used for context and plot purposes where needed but it's primarily a personal story rather than that of nations.

It lacks the extra-special quality that would give it a five star rating from me, but it's hard to find anything to criticise specifically. I found it interesting throughout and the character building and development is particularly good. Unlike many character-strong novels though, it also has a worthy plot and didn't bore me. I would recommend to readers who enjoy literary fiction, particularly that set in Asia/Asian cultures.

I was excited to read this book, the cover and blurb initially drew me in.

But nothing much happened and I wasn’t overly invested in the main characters,

I did enjoy the themes of social media and its consequences, privacy, the power hierarchy, the indignities of the immigration service, class struggles and identity.

It is a story of friendship, and how childhood trauma can stay with you, never truly leaving the past behind.

How I feel about 'Best of Friends' is difficult to convey as a simple star rating.

On the one hand, I found it hard to read, because its characters are deeply unsympathetic, and their perspective on events is skewed and often exaggerated.

On the other hand, it made me think. A lot. Not only about the characters themselves, but also about the events that unfold in the background of the story, and which paint a picture of a divided nation, where politics is identified with sleaze, and where migrants are as disposable as "a piece of old furniture."

This is essentially a character study, recounting the long term friendship between Zahra and Maryam, from their native Karachi in the 1980s, to modern-day London.

Zahra and Maryam are very different. Zahra is studious, but often acts 'out-of-character'. The amount of cognitive dissonance that she displays throughout is truly astonishing. Maryam is a pragmatist to a fault, and has better self-awareness and character consistency.

When they are both fourteen, they live through an ordeal that they both believe to have deeply changed the trajectory of their lives. Fast-forward 30 years of so, and we get to observe the fallout.

The first 40% or so of the book establishes the background of both characters, and unfolds quite slowly. Then the ordeal takes place, and has some immediate ramifications that disproportionately affect Maryam. Irrespective of how it pans out though, the firmly held belief by both characters that this moment is pivotal to their futures is hugely exaggerated.

Thirty years on, some of this stuff comes back to haunt both characters, and they are forced to confront some hard truths.

This is the first bookb I've read by the author and I was not disappointed. Set in Karachi and London. It is focused on the friendship of Zahra and Maryam as teenagers and later on as adults. The book is very well written and was an enjoyable read.

Shamsie’s follow-up to her Women’s Prize-winning Home Fire is a decades-spanning tale of the intense and complicated friendship between two very different women. Opening in 1980s Karachi when an incident resets the course of their lives, before pivoting to contemporary London. Both a deeply heartfelt and clear-eyed look at the intricate and, at times, conflicting nature of women’s friendship. Recommended. 4.5 stars

Best of Friends to me felt like a book that didn't really go anywhere, there were implications that something shocking was going to happen so I was left waiting for more. Nothing really happened and that to me summed up the whole book.

I enjoyed the first half the book to get a perspective on Pakistan in the 80's. The second half of the book I couldn't really get into and found myself skimming through it to get to the dramatic fall out. Even that didn't live up to the hype.

A good book about 2 young girls growing up in Karachi in 1988 and follows them to London 2019 but from different cultures with different opinions on politics.
They both have successful careers and are wealthy and happy but when someone from their past shows up old memories are stirred up can their friendship survive.
I admit I lost interest towards the end as it did not keep my interest as I found it hard going but the ending was good.
Thanks to NetGalley & Bloomsbury Publishing Plc (UK & ANZ)

I'm not a published author but I know from many years of reading fiction that all good stories need an antagonist, the 'bad guy'. Here, in 'Best of Friends' by Kamila Shamsie, we have one such bad guy. His name is Jimmy (this is not a plot spoiler). Now, when Jimmy is on the scene, the novel fizzes with dread and is excellent. The Big Problem is, however, that Jimmy only appears twice. The first time is a fantastic, memorable, edge-of-the-seat scene. The second time less so, but still effective. But for the most part, he's not there! And when he isn't, boy, this novel drags. His name is often on the lips of our two women but little else.

Also, the author shies away from cranking up the potential conflict. The blackmail plot is neatly dealt with when an off-scene character dies. OK, said character was an actual person, General Zia, the president of Pakistan, who died in 1988. But it rather conveniently snuffs out that subplot. Had the author wanted to milk this (excellent) idea for conflict, why didn't she simply bring it forward a couple of months? But no, it's as if she had no idea how to develop and resolve it, so she shied away from it entirely.

Then, with the Big Scene, half-way through, although filled with tension, nothing, nothing, actually happens. I appreciate that in real life, fear can traumatise a person for years to come but within the pages of a novel, it felt like yet another cop-out.

And then, as another plot strand develops and looks to be promising, taking us away from pages and pages of dullness, the character is conveniently deported, so that's the end of that. The author has copped out - again!

I'm not expecting blood and gore on every page but, really, this was like listening to a comedian present a fantastic set-up to several jokes and then being incapable of delivering any punchlines.

The writing is certainly fluid and confident, but what good is that when the author can not deliver on plot?

Kamila Shamsie is rapidly becoming one of my favourite authors. Having read Home Fires during the first lockdown when my friend and I were at the peak of our book swapping spree, and then being given A God In Every Stone as my book group Secret Santa present, when I saw she had a new book out, I was drawn to it even before I'd read the blurb.

It felt like something of a departure to begin with because I was waiting for something especially traumatic to happen to kick start the inevitable chain of events. When I past the incident that I had thought would be that triggering event, it felt anti-climactic to begin with. However, by the end of the book it became clear that it was a deliberate subversion of the reader's expectations. I thought I had the plot sussed out in advance and that I had a pretty good idea of what was going to happen. As it built towards the two places I'd identified as being the 'key' event, I suddenly found myself blind-sided by the plot going in a completely different direction. By not taking the route I'd expected, my interest was captured further and it was a brilliant editorial choice. Don't get me wrong - this isn't a trauma free book by any means, it's simply that the emotional upset comes from somewhere entirely unexpected.

At its heart, this is a book about friendship. But it goes far beyond friendship and examines the love that underpins the truest of all friendships. Zahra and Maryam's relationship is something rare and precious and yet at its heart, in spite of all their promises of truth-telling, it proves that no one can ever fully know or understand another human being. However, it also shows that ultimately, if you truly love someone, no matter what the obstacles put in your way (by them or by life itself) you are always drawn back to them because they are such an integral part of your life that you cannot imagine how life can continue without them in it.

In the friends' relationship, Shamsie shows the depth of understanding she has about all the frailties of human relationships and particularly of those forged in childhood. The unswerving loyalty and the many unspoken conversations which take place between them all point to something which goes beyond friendship and becomes more like family. And as everyone knows, family are the people who can hurt you the most.

Whilst it's not always a comfortable read and certainly proves eye-opening to anyone who is not familiar with the indignities of the immigration service (certain characters put a human face on the nameless numbers affected in similar ways) and the back-scratching that goes on between politics and business, Best Of Friends is a fabulous book. The cover design is so simple, but utterly inspired and I loved every word behind it.

This was a great read - super easy and flowed so nicely. I raced through it which is always a good sign!

A beautifully written portrayal of female friendship that is also very easy to read. There was more story than I expected and I enjoyed the sense of place and time through.

I was surprised by the layers to this book. I had assumed it would focus on the friendship of the two girls, and whilst this is the plot driver, there are so many beautiful observations of the life we are all living that it felt very relatable.

A great novel by a wonderful writer. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC of Best of Friends.

‘The Best of Friends’ depends on contrast for its dramas and conflicts. An engaging opening section, set in Karachi where schoolgirls Zahra and Maryam are very close friends, despite contrasting characters and home lives.
Zahra’s parents are more reserved than Maryam’s, who are glamorous and wealthy socialites. And yet the girls are inseparable; Zahra steady and sensible; Maryam daring and a thrill-seeker. Soon plunged into a nightmare scenario, the girls’ secure futures begin to look uncertain even before adolescence is complete.
Fast forward to London and they now are both unbelievably wealthy and. successful professional women, living entirely independently from each other; moving in government and global hi-tech contexts. Until their past suddenly turns up to torment them and challenge their personal security and their relationship. From this point, the narrative is merely plot-drive.
A lame ending completes a largelydisappointing read from a writer who is capable of exploring prescient multi-cultural themes with revealing insights and commitment. I missed this, having loved 'Home Fires'.
Thanks to #NetGalley and #BloomsburyPublishing plc, for an advance copy. (less)

I've enjoyed other novels by Kamila Shamsie, but this story of two teenage girls felt too generic to be interesting and reviews from other people I follow suggested it doesn't get any better. DNF

I absolutely loved this book.
I loved the friendship between Maryam and Zahra and really enjoyed seeing them grow, and the ups and downs that go along with that. Their relationship was real and raw and believable.
I found this book to be both fun and complicated. It asks questions about justice and class and borders, but is also thoroughly enjoyable.

Fascinating tale of the friendship of two girls, Maryam and Zahra who are now approaching womanhood and their O Levels in Year 10 of school in Karachi, 1988. One is from a wealthy business-owning family (which she is in line to inherit) who have servants, security and holidays in London; the other, Zahra has a much more modest background with a teacher (now a Head teacher) and a cricket anchor on TV as parents. Theirs and everybody else's lives are ruled by the dictatorship, which unknown to them is about to end.

Maryam's body is changing, males are noticing her and changes are entering their friendship - the first lies are told between the two girls. Decisions at a party lead to dire consequences for their futures.

The story then moves to 2019 where the 2 women are now friends living in London, both with successful careers but with very different politics. The event which drove them apart is seen differently by each woman - their story is told from the differing vewpoints. It returns to haunt them. Can they remain friends?

Beautifully written, the Karachi background, attitudes to 'reputation',puberty issues and womens' friendship are all component parts to a sensitive and very interesting story. I chose to feel there was hope at the end.