'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.

A book of two halves. The first set in Karachi as the two protagonists are negotiating the complicated mores and behaviours expected of two teenage girls. A single event threatens to ruin their reputation and futures but the day is saved when one of them takes responsibility for their actions.
The story then jumps to London 30years later and Zahra and Maryam are still friends but have very different careers. A blast from the past unsettles the two friends and both react differently and ultimately both pay the price and their friendship is finally undone – or is it.
I agree with reviewer Jen Burrows the second half is a little flat.

A beautifully written coming of age story centered around two women's friendship as they navigate their journey from childhood to middle age.
The story begins with two young girls growing up in Karachi and follows them to present day London where their friendship appears as strong as ever.
The story centers around an incident that took place as adolescents that changed the course of their lives, even twenty five years later the repercussions of the actions and choices they made that night come back to haunt them. The reopening of this old wound will test their friendship to its very limit.

This is a beautifully-written book about female friendship, envy, ethics and male power.
Zahra and Maryam grow up together in Karachi in the 1980s. The first part of the book is about their teenage years, their families, and politics. After an incident, Maryam is sent to boarding school in England. Zahra later goes to university at Cambridge.
In the second part of the book, the women are living in London, with good careers, and have maintained their friendship. People from their past return, resulting in many changes.
The characters in the book are so warm, I really cared about them, and the choices they made. Highly recommended.

Having enjoyed Home Fires, I was really looking forward to reading Kamila Shamsie’s latest book.

A book about friendship, spanning over 30 years, with the first part set in Pakistan and the second part in London, it held much promise.

Unfortunately, I thought the first part was very YA and I couldn’t engage with the characters, nor the storyline. A quarter of the way through, I found myself skimming through the chapters and by the time I’d come to the second part, I wasn’t invested enough to want to read it properly. I skimmed through the remaining chapters, hoping to get into it more, but I just didn’t.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review.