The Best of Friends by Joanna Trollope Review
Viking, June 1998.Hardcover, 293 pages.
ISBN: 0670879738.
Bestselling British author Joanna Trollope again visits the world of middle-class England and its values in this poignant and sometimes funny human drama. Gina and Laurence have been friends since childhood, although they grew up to marry other people. When Gina's husband announces one day that he simply can't stand Gina anymore and leaves (taking exactly one half of the furniture), she is devastated and turns to her old friend Laurence. When the friendship ignites a spark of passion, the fallout is disastrous to both extended families, especially to the teenaged children of both families. The book follows the families as they pick up the pieces of their lives and try to make some sense of the varied and complex relationships in which they find themselves.
Trollope, best known for The Rector's Wife, which was made into a television drama shown in the U.S. on PBS, is at her best in this tale of love, betrayal, aging, marriages and the tragedy of divorce on children. Her characters are vividly human, with a host of frailties, insecurities and secret passions. Some of the characters are likable, while others are simply irritatingly self-centered -- just like real people. Her teenage portrayals are dead-on, and illustrate the effects of divorce on that sensitive and insecure age group. Another gripping drama from an extremely talented author.
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