Sigrid Nunez’s ‘The Friend’ was one of my favourite books of recent years- one that I pressed into hands of friends and was read by three generations of my family. So it was with anticipation mixed with trepidation that I applied to read ‘What are you Going Through.’ Like ‘The Friend’, this book has a wry sense of humour, wonderful characters and dances rather than plods through difficult subject of death and loneliness. Unlike ‘The Friend’ it is less elliptical and unexpected- the narrative is straightforward and for me, less involving, more obvious. For this reason I am giving it 4/5 stars but I would still recommend this to many. Thank you for the opportunity to read.

I loved The Friend - it was one of my favourite books of the last few years. What are you going through is another classic with all of Nunez's characteristic warmth, wit and charm. Wonderful.

I don't know of any other book that I have so vehemently disliked yet been so vice-like gripped by it.

This book is a hard read. Not only because it has this running theme about death, but also because it is so unsettling.

My verdict is that the book is pretty great yet equally pessimistic. There isn't a shred of hope that you can hold on to. You're just plugged into the narrator's often disjointed thoughts.

The writing runs like an unfiltered stream of consciousness. It is like that dream you get stuck in, but have no idea what the hell is happening.
There isn't a lot of hope and optimistic happy-go-lucky vibes. In fact, there are none.

Yet I couldn't stop reading!

Despite the randomness, it does a good job in provoking discussions. It asks you to ponder over questions you usually do not consider. (Whether you agree with the protagonist's logic is another discussion altogether.)

That said, it's not a book that I would recommend to people who have anxiety or depression. Maybe to the millennial to ponder over the future, but then again is it right to burden the young?

My final takeaway is: It is not for everyone.

Rating: 2.5/5

I will be posting a longer review a fortnight before the Oct 1 publishing date: https://thebookbuff.com/

Will also leave review on Goodreads and
https://www.instagram.com/therealbookbuff

Disclaimer: Thanks to #NetGalley for #WhatAreYouGoingThrough - an ARC in exchange for an honest review

I really enjoyed this book a lot. The characters were clever and engaging, and getting to spend time with them was a treat. I liked the writing too - it was descriptive without ever veering into flowery territory, and I would certainly be interested in reading more work by this author. The cover is great too!

Sigrid Nunez understand us. She knows what we feel, how we think, how we move through the world and carry our histories on our shoulders. After LOVING The Friend, I was so excited to read her new book. While this was a quick read, I felt that it carefully told its story, and I truly could have kept reading for pages and pages. There is much in here about friendship, loyalty, parenting, decisions made, love lost, friendships abandoned. I love the edge to Nunez's characters, the daring, the heart, the mistakes. I was reminded in places here of Helen Garner, who details quiet moments in similarly spare, affecting ways. Loved it.

I was delighted to get the opportunity to read What Are You Going Through by Sigrid Nunez as I remember enjoying her previous novel The Friend. What Are You Going Through is about supporting a friend who is terminally ill and about human connections.

What Are You Going Through by Sigrid Nunez was kindly approved by @NatGalley and @littlebrownbookgroup_uk to read in exchange of an honest review so here it is (going to get good at reviews at this rate ha ha!):
This is one of those books I finished and thought what was this actually about and am I going to remember this? For the first question I had to turn to a well known search engine and the blurb to double check and to answer my second question definately not!

The novel tells the encounters the narrator had with people she has met. Some of these recollections lead down the path of nowhere such as attending a lecture led by her ex and there was even a segment from a cats perspective. Now I adore cats and even I did not see the point in this 😂😂

The main focus of the book was a friends journey with terminal cancer. It was told well with quotes from other sources such as Nietzshe, however as the narrative was broken up with other random/ unrelated segments any emotional attachment I had as a reader was lost.

Overall it was rather sad which is rather ironic as the author quotes 'Whatever happened to Faulkner's idea that a writers job was to lift people up' Well Sigrid please do enlighten us! Perhaps I have missed the key to this one and overlooked a masterpiece.

It wasn't the worst book I have read but because it didn't flow and I did not care for any of the characters my overall rating is only 2/5 stars. I will not read another book by this author.

If anybody is a fan of this authors work and is looking forward to reading it I believe it will be published on 8th September 2020.