Waiting on a Friend A Novel

Renata, the lesbian narrator of Natalie Adler s impressionistic debut, is literally haunted by ghosts after losing so many friends. When another friend, handsome blonde Mark, dies, she s surprised he s really and truly gone, unlike the others who remain with her. From shabby apartments to art experiments to filthy needles with echoes of Patti Smith and Rebecca Makkai Adler conjures an era of sorrow borne by too many, too young. Time

A wildly inventive and moving novel that walks a tightrope of emotion with grace and humor . . . an astonishingly brilliant debut. Patrick Ryan, New York Times bestselling author of Buckeye

A magical retelling of queer history, a celebration of NYC youth and friendship. Literary Hub

[A] rich and intimate narrative. Boston Globe

A terrific read and an exciting promise of more to come. Minneapolis Star Tribune

[A] brilliant twist on the supernatural genre . . . Waiting on a Friend is a horror story where all the monsters are real but so are the heroes. Even as they ve disappeared, Renata keeps the memory of her lost friends, of their lost world, alive. In an era obsessed with optimization and monetization, Natalie Adler reminds us that living as your authentic self, in community with others . . . is a triumphant and deeply pleasurable form of resistance. Los Angeles Review of Books

Adler s novel is about the stories we tell ourselves to live. . . . It is also a reminder to lean on each other a warning that no one will come to the defense of the most vulnerable among us but our own community. The Provincetown Independent

A neon immersion into the gay 80s party scene, and a life-affirming case for feeling it all. Fun, as [Adler s protagonist] Renata realizes, is just as real as pain, and this debut packs both in breathtaking abundance. Oprah Daily

Fresh and refreshing, both heartbreaking and uplifting . . . Natalie Adler has given us a gem. Rabih Alameddine, author of The True True Story of Raja the Gullible (and His Mother), winner of the National Book Award

A fun, sexy, heartbreaking, inventive whirl of a novel. Ann Napolitano, New York Times bestselling author of Hello Beautiful

Quirky, queer, poignant, and funny, this book shines with spirit and hope. Julia Glass, author of Three Junes, winner of the National Book Award

A perfect ghost story . . . beautiful, quietly radical, and so heartfelt it hurts. Gretchen Felker-Martin, author of Manhunt

Adler gets the feeling of the time more right than almost any historical fiction I ve read about the early-middle height of AIDS in NYC. Andrea Lawlor, author of Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl

Natalie Adler is bringing one incarnation of the AIDS experience into the present where it all belongs. Someone is listening. Sarah Schulman, author of Let the Record Show: A Political History of ACT UP

[A book] everyone should be itching to read. Adler has her finger on the pulse of humanity, humor, and a damn good haunting plot. Debutiful

A riveting debut by a writer of tremendous compassion and insight. Helen Phillips, author of The Need

A breathtaking novel . . . I absolutely loved it and could not stop reading. Jiaming Tang, author of Cinema Love

This book will linger long after the last page. Garrard Conley, author of Boy Erased

Tender, funny, insightful . . . These characters and this world stayed in my heart long after I finished the book. Carter Sickels, author of The Prettiest Star

At turns funny and wise, sexy and sad, paranormal and devastatingly real this book made me feel more human. Molly McGhee, author of Jonathan Abernathy You Are Kind

By turns biting and generous, funny and devastating, Waiting on a Friend evokes friendship in all its complexity its resentments, tender obsessions, marvelous intimacies, and supernatural power. Beth Morgan, author of A Touch of Jen

Spellbinding. Library Journal, starred review

Dazzles like a mirror ball. Publishers Weekly, starred review

An elegy for 1980s Manhattan. Harper s Bazaar