Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Book Review of Absent Friends

Absent Friends
reviewed on + 3 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2


I live in the western United States. I have no friends from high school or college. I have no secrets that go back twenty years. Although I remember the events of 9/11, I was not personally affected by them. My particular experiences make this book a poor fit for my sensibilities. Although I have been to New York City and have lived on the East Coast, the people in this book seem more foreign to me than someone living in Europe. Because the chapters are short and the characters are only seen in glimpses, it took me quite a while to catch the rhythm of the author.

The story is about a murder of the son of a minor mobster twenty years ago and the family of the man who went to jail for the murder and died there. The friends of the victims are twisted and torn by these events, especially when one of them dies during 9/11 and leaves papers behind describing the events that actually happened. A once celebrated journalist investigates this ancient crime and also dies. His lover takes up the crusade and finds out a truth that should have stayed buried.

Some parts of this tale are moving, but many of them are too subjective to be fully described.