Conversations With Friends, by Sally Rooney

Irish student Frances is a talented poet and her best friend and former girlfriend Bobbi helps out with her spoken word performances. The pair attracts the attention of 30-something writer Melissa, who draws them in to her social circle with her actor husband Nick. Poor little rich girl Bobbi has a crush on the glamorous Melissa, while damaged Frances develops an altogether more real and dangerous relationship with Nick. A problematic timeline should have been picked up in editing – Nick is 32, but appeared on a TV program in 1992 at the age of 10, so what year are we in now? The technology available would suggest the current era so that doesn’t compute. The story essentially belongs to Frances, who becomes more sympathetic as it goes along, but is ultimately revealed to be stuck and self-destructive – pretty sad at 21. The central love story is twisted and self-indulgent with nothing learned from the toxic relationships that are set to continue, to everyone’s detriment.