Rich and Pretty (Aman)

Rich and Pretty 
Rumaan Aman, 2016
HarperCollins
304 pp.
ISBN-13: 9780062429933


Summary
As close as sisters for twenty years, Sarah and Lauren have been together through high school and college, first jobs and first loves, the uncertainties of their twenties and the realities of their thirties.

Sarah, the only child of a prominent intellectual and a socialite, works at a charity and is methodically planning her wedding. Lauren—beautiful, independent, and unpredictable—is single and working in publishing, deflecting her parents’ worries and questions about her life and future by trying not to think about it herself.

Each woman envies—and is horrified by—particular aspects of the other’s life, topics of conversation they avoid with masterful linguistic pirouettes.

Once, Sarah and Lauren were inseparable; for a long a time now, they’ve been apart. Can two women who rarely see one other, selectively share secrets, and lead different lives still call themselves best friends? Is it their abiding connection—or just force of habit—that keeps them together?

With impeccable style, biting humor, and a keen sense of detail, Rumaan Alam deftly explores how the attachments we form in childhood shift as we adapt to our adult lives—and how the bonds of friendship endure, even when our paths diverge. (From the publisher.)

Author Bio
Rmaan Alam’s writing has been published in New York Magazine, Los Angeles Review of Books, Wall Street Journal, Rumpus, Washington Square Review, Gettysburg Review, American Short Fiction, and elsewhere.

He started his career in fashion publishing at Lucky magazine, has written extensively on interior design for Domino, Lonny, Elle Decor, architecturaldigest.com, and elsewhere, and has worked in advertising as a copywriter and creative director. He studied at Oberlin College, and lives in New York. (From the publisher.)

Book Reviews
Rumaan Alam creates characters who are grappling with their adult identities while securing their childhood bond.
Wall Street Journal

[A] smart, enticing novel.
Miami Herald

Rumaan Alam transforms a whimsical beach read into compelling literary prose…Rich and Pretty is a realistic look at female friendship.
Associated Press

Written with humor and an impeccable ear for girlfriendly conversation--by a man, no less!--Rich and Pretty is a sparkling debut.
People

Rumaan Alam beautifully frames the nuances of female friendship: that complex alchemy of expectations and envy, and how they chafe with a lingering deep affection for each other.
Elle

[A] sweet yet cutting exploration of the bonds of friendship.... With astute descriptions of how values, tastes, desires, and ambitions change over two decades, Alam’s tale of a divergent friendship smartly reflects the trial and error nature of finding a mate and deciding how to grow up.
Publishers Weekly


Sarah and Lauren, best friends since age 11...[find] their lives are diverging.... Perfectly capturing a changing yet resilient friendship, this debut novel full of warmth and humor will appeal to anyone who has experienced a similar bond. —Catherine Coyne, Mansfield P.L., MA
Library Journal


Although Alam seems to have no deep new insight to share and his story is thin on plot, his characters are real and rounded enough to escape being entirely cliche.... [He] captures something truthful and essential about the push-pull of friendship.
Kirkus Reviews

Discussion Questions
We'll add the publisher's questions if and when they're available; in the meantime use these LitLovers talking points to start a discussion for Rich and Pretty...then take off on your own:

1. Describe the two young woman: what are their personalities, desires, and motivation in life? How do their backgrounds shape their decisions? Do you admire one character more than the other?

2. Talk about the pressures the friendship faces as the two mature. What do you see as the fault lines in their relationship?

3. (Follow-up to Question #2) Sarah thinks to herself:

Things change, in life—of course they do. People grow up, become interested in new things, new people. Our way of being in the world is probably a lot less fixed than most people think. But Lauren is a part of her world, and she's a part of Lauren's.

On the other hand, Lauren wonders if her friendship with Sarah has survived because of habit. What is your assessment?

4. Do you see yourself in either of the characters? Have you ever had a similar relationship in your own life—a long friendship that has felt the strains of different backgrounds or different life choices?

6. What role does socio-economic status play in this book?

7. Talk about the title of the book, "Rich and Pretty." What is its thematic significance? (Notice, too, the blurred cover image.) Lauren's prettiness is never described while Sarah's unattractive features are spelled out. Why do you think that is?

8. As the story ends, what do you think the future holds for the two women? Will their friendship survive?

9. The author is male. How well do you think he captures the female voice? In an interview, Nina Wertheimer of NPR said, "you have a nearly flawless ear for the way women talk. And you are a guy." Do you agree...or not.

(Questions by LitLovers. Please feel free to use them, online or off, with attribution. Thanks.)

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