It's been said that friends are the family one chooses. Lydia Millet's Fair Ones perfectly encapsulates that sentiment. In this emotionally astute "double novel," Millet (Mermaids in Paradise; A Children's Bible) follows the interconnected lives of three female friends after the sudden death of one of them shatters their equilateral triangle and throws the lives of the survivors into turmoil.
Jen, Mara, and Claire are in their 40s when one spring morning, while awaiting the bus that will take her to the high school where she works as a counselor, Claire is felled by a bullet from a gun in the hands of a 13-year-old boy. Jen and Mara are left to carry on in the face of this unimaginable loss.
Told in the understated voice of Mara, the first section spans a year that begins immediately after Claire's death. In Fair Ones's second half, two years later, Jen, who "wielded bluntness like a cudgel," takes over the story. Hers is a more wry, sometimes cynical voice that will bring frequent smiles, the move toward humor perhaps a natural reflection of grief easing a bit. Both experience how growing older can mean supporting their parents, Mara dealing with a mother who has early dementia, and Jen helping her mother cope with a damaged marriage.
The two sections of Fair Ones unfold almost entirely in well-crafted dialogue, which makes this a fast-paced read. Millet expertly reveals the inside jokes and knowing asides that blossom in longtime friendships. This is a story that's honest, warm, and utterly realistic for anyone who's enjoyed the bonds of a close, confiding friendship. --Harvey Freedenberg, freelance reviewer