True Friends

‘ It’ s hard to know exactly when the friendship with Gina ended. It could have been when the sudden text message from her arrived, or it could have been a slow slide out of favour that I willed myself not to see. What matters is that it did end, and I don’ t know why.’ Friendships are among the most important relationships in our lives, often outlasting love affairs, marriages, even, at times, family connections. The loss of a friend can be one of life’ s most disturbing events, yet these ‘ friend break-ups’ are little acknowledged in our culture. In True Friends, acclaimed author Patti Miller recounts the joyful making and then painful ending of a long, close friendship. It is a deep and influential relationship in her life, but when it inexplicably unravels, Patti is left searching for answers. As she tries to make sense of this ending, Patti considers other important friendships throughout her life, questioning who we are drawn to, what we really know of each other and why some friendships endure while others end. Evocative and intimate, this engaging book brings together the personal and the universal and reminds us of the centrality of friendships in our lives.

Patti Miller was raised on Wiradjuri land in central western NSW and now lives in Sydney. She is the author of Writing Your Life (Allen & Unwin, 1994, 2001); The Last One Who Remembers (Allen & Unwin, 1997); Child (Allen & Unwin, 1998); Whatever the Gods Do (Random House, 2003); The Memoir Book (Allen & Unwin, 2007); The Mind of a Thief (UQP, 2012); Ransacking Paris (UQP, 2015); Writing True Stories (Routledge, 2017); and The Joy of High Places (NewSouth, 2019). She has also taught memoir and creative non-fiction for many years around Australia and in Fiji, Bali, Paris and London. Patti Miller was raised on Wiradjuri land in central western NSW and now lives in Sydney. She is the author of Writing Your Life (Allen & Unwin, 1994, 2001); The Last One Who Remembers (Allen & Unwin, 1997); Child (Allen & Unwin, 1998); Whatever the Gods Do (Random House, 2003); The Memoir Book (Allen & Unwin, 2007); The Mind of a Thief (UQP, 2012); Ransacking Paris (UQP, 2015); Writing True Stories (Routledge, 2017); and The Joy of High Places (NewSouth, 2019). She has also taught memoir and creative non-fiction for many years around Australia and in Fiji, Bali, Paris and London.