*Friends of the Museum* is a beautifully crafted novel that delves into the complexities of friendship, memory, and art. With rich characters and a poignant narrative, it explores the connections that shape our lives in unexpected ways. It's an emotionally resonant and thought-provoking read that captivates from start to finish.

Unfortunately, I had a lot of trouble getting into this. Like others have said, the writing style makes it hard to read and get invested in the story. I finally had to DNF it about 15% in.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

I really wanted to like this but I had to DNF pretty quickly into reading this book. The writing style makes it so hard do understand what’s happening, who is talking, and who they’re talking to. It felt very flat to me. Such a shame cause it has an interesting premise.

The description for this says it’s a “novel in the vein of White Lotus” and I could not agree more. It’s the rich people shenanigans of White Lotus meets the over-the-top characters and big personalities of something like Parks and Rec.

The story is told with chapter delineations being time of day, which is important because the entire novel takes place in the day leading up to the fundraising event they’re having at the museum that evening. It doesn’t have quotation marks, but the dialogue tags are written in such a way that it reads like a play — essentially meaning that I felt like I was watching the entire story in my head, and couldn’t ever find a good point to set it down. McGowan’s writing is a quick and illustrative characterization of a large, quirky cast, and even by 20% in you knew who everyone was and the personal drama they were dragging around.

I loved and hated Clive (mostly referred to as his position at the museum of “European paintings” which I found hilarious) because he was so human — he makes bad choices, but you also feel for him? Though truthfully the same could be said for essentially anyone you meet in the story. I actually laughed out loud at one scene discussing gift shop merchandise ideas, where an employee panics and says “porn” and the Director of the Museum, Diane, rolls with it. Like I said: rich people shenanigans.

Just after I finished, I wrote in my notes that one of the themes of this book is the “second meaning of art: the suffering we all hold inside” which I think is an apt way to describe a book about an art museum. Don’t worry if you aren’t an art or museum person! Like I said — if you want to read about the nonsense a large cast of big personalities gets up to, this is the book for you.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for my review.

It is important to note that most of the themes explored in this book deal with sensitive subject matters. My review, therefore, touches on these topics as well. Many people might find the book's subject matters & those detailed in my review overwhelming. I would suggest you steer clear of both if this is the case. Please note that from this point forward I will be writing about matters which contain reflections on substance abuse, adultery, bigotry, & others.

Ravenously, the reader wanders the halls of treasure troves in search of what may let them peer into a different life. As its own art form, the written word brightens the claustrophobia that settles in the pendulum swing of days & nights. It may appear odd to wander the bind of a book whose story presents readers with the very nature they tire of yet, this twin flame offers readers something that they are not afforded—the freedom to close the book & leave.

When I came across this book it was while scrolling my feed. Someone had posted a picture of the cover art as they held in their hands a shiny & new printed book, gifted specifically to them by the Publisher. The cover art caught my eye, for indeed it is art in the traditional sense of the word.

What does this image reveal to prospective readers? What undercurrent wavers the background as the images entangle themselves together? I have since sought to find the post that inspired my search for this book but, it has been lost to the media of social performances. I do credit this mystery person for their quick snapped story of enthusiasm that led me here.

In essence, this is a story about employees at a New York-based museum & the haunts of their lives. Each of the characters represents a facet of life, a monumental shift in the norm; each section slivered into time slots is written in a deciphering manner that clears the air of mystery. The plot maneuvers itself onward throughout 24 hours as each of the characters shifts left & right, attempting to position themselves appropriately for what is to come. Their drama resembles a fabled old tale of jesters & sacrilegious magicians yet what makes this story worth reading lies in the author’s ability to write such a delightfully tangled web.

While reading this book I often found myself wondering at the length. On certain occasions, the material flew through my hands, my progress was swift. Yet, the very next day while reading sections paced the same with the same characters & taking place in the same environment, the material felt interminably long.

Admittedly, the book is long. Clocking in just shy of 500 pages, it will not be the lengthiest tome, veteran readers have consumed yet, the subject matter itself may leave them questioning the pacing of their progress.

I attribute my confusing predicament to the format. The story takes place over 24 hours & the author has split each series of events into the clock’s hours, leaving some sections to take up greater space during the hour than others. This is not a complaint. I appreciated the flow of the story & found myself pondering my own hours spent working, writing reviews, making dinner, & seeing friends. What does a person get up to all day & all night?

What I would like to highlight in this review, first & foremost, is my appreciation for the planning that the author undertook before writing this book. McGowan’s format may leave a reader to be lost & abandoned in the plot. There are so many characters, & so much backstory, that the girth of the novel is not made clear because each experience is unique to the character at play & yet, each character is thoroughly intertwined with the others.

McGowan’s dedication to clear storytelling may remind readers of lessons taught in school, emphasizing the importance of the spiderweb format of development & details. It is essential for an author to know their characters & to have a clear directive when endeavouring to write.

It is well & good to want to share something but, anyone can pass along hearsay or invent lies to sour a tale to the heavens. One of the markers of a good author is their ability to weave what is imagined to them—that which originates in their mind—& make it tangible, formal in the written word.

Because McGowan was so clear in her planning & so intentional in her presentation, the multitude of names & lives did not feel like a drag. By that I mean, that readers will not feel the story is weighed down by certain characters or by weakness in specific sections. This is quite important given the length of the story but also, the number of details presented to a reader.

As there is no right way to read a book—subjective preferences aside—readers of this book will be allowed & encouraged to settle the layout of the museum in the way they so choose. For myself, this meant envisioning rooms the likes of which resembled pictures I had seen & places I had been. Centring the plot & main events in a familiar environment—as museums are well-known globally—lessens the strain that the reader may feel when trying to keep track of each character & their woes.

With that being said, & as I have emphasized redundantly up until this point, there are many characters. This review will not provide a recap of each of them, nor will I write a synopsis of their value. Rather, while reading I wondered how I might broach the analysis of the characters as a whole & I have concluded that the best way to do so is to encourage—remind—readers of themselves. Each person we meet is different from the next yet, resembles the last just as much as they will another.

The characters in this story felt very real, they had personalities that were seemingly inspired by real individuals who sat for portraits while the wall of the plot’s web grew. Each action that was taken brought value to the story as a whole & I would be hard-pressed to say that any of the main, secondary, or even tertiary characters were wasted.

Each their own person, the characters built the world around them. The museum, their apartments, & their inner ravings, raised the story from a simple character study to a deep-rooted anthropologic dissection of human behaviour.

As I have mentioned, there is not one character who stands above the others though I will admit that readers may find preference with one over the other. On occasion, I felt that Diane was the worst person in the world for her overwhelming selfishness. Then, the clock would move forward & Iona read to me as devilishly & intentionally incompetent & how was I meant to feel sympathy for her when she consciously did what was done?

Benjamin was difficult to trust & why should I try when his behaviour galvanized those who cared about him? Henry made the world a cruel place because he bought into the bogus lies of his best interest. I found myself perplexed by the coldness exhibited by Shay towards everyone different than her & saddened by Clive’s self-hatred.

Onward I went down a rabbit hole lined with portraits of each of the characters. I closed the book wondering what would happen to them when I stepped away. Where would they go now that their world was changing? Which of their secrets would eat them alive & which would they abort to make room for the next?

I am inclined to say that it was because each character made me question my fondness for them or rather, because each of them left me standing comfortably out of their reach, that I appreciated this story so much.

There has always been room on library shelves for stories that present a clear role—hero & villain dancing through the pages. However, there is a particular intrigue that is piqued in me, rather, a delight that I nestle towards, when stories choose to give readers the very nature of their own realities.

As my praise has mounted, I will acknowledge that readers who are seeking a story where intrigue masquerades as a wolf in sheep’s clothing will be disappointed by this story. The nature of the tale is monotonous because it is the daily lives of human beings who are at once trying their best & avoiding accountability to do anything other than ignore the issue at hand. If one is looking for a story where Katherine’s pregnancy sends her into a psychosis or where Chris rises from the dead; they are encouraged to look elsewhere.

Delightfully this story presents readers will a comforting perspective on a slew of earnest experiences. No reader will appreciate, support, or understand each of the choices made in this story & I suspect that this is particularly the purpose of the book.

Famously, George R.R. Martin expressed the power of reading & the thousands of lives a reader has the opportunity to lead before their time is through. This book fits chiefly in this sentiment for the reader will be at the head of a multitude of situations each complex, each heart wrenching & profound, sometimes deranged & other times unsympathetically sad. The reader is welcomed among the pages to experience all of life’s avenues & then, they have the freedom to close the bind & return to their own.

Ultimately, I am thankful for the picture posted & the Publishing House that entrusted a reader with an early copy of this book. I wish I could find them to thank them. This book left me feeling intimately acquainted with people I would not choose to invest my time or vulnerabilities with. Yet, their transparency across the page made me feel grateful for the chance to view what is different than me & reminded me of the similarities we all share.

The tired nature of human existence & experience brings us closer to one another than we otherwise would be alone—a thought I intentionally forget to remember from time to time.

Grumbling like the bear awoken early from hibernation, the subway roves under New York City, glistening in the dark. Passengers maroon in the clever pallet grids & imagine themselves as other than what they are. Sitting next to them, the unknown version of themselves fate & fortune cast as the alternative player of their fancies.

When the steady noon sky watches over the cattle drive of coffee runs & pasturing red lights, the mind’s wandering hope for clarity seeks a being bigger than it can be. Here, the author positions wet ink from the stem.

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books, & Heather McGowan for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Unfortunately, this didn't land for me. It was overall confusing and difficult to follow and I don't think I actually liked a single character within the story. There were moments that were entertaining but not enough to actually make me look forward to picking the book back up.

My review is also posted on my Goodreads account.

""—No, no... his bulk overwhelms Astrid’s spindly chair in a chubby cascade."

I have a rule where the moment someone writes something fatphobic I quit, because if you can't write fat people as people, I can't be persuaded to believe the book is worth reading.

DNF at 10%. This book will find its reader, just not me right now. Very reminiscent of Joyce’s Ulysses, stream of consciousness, no quotation marks and keeping the characters straight made for a hard read. Totally understand what the author was going for and applaud the effort, just wasn’t for me.

I really don't know how to talk about this book other than to say I am so confused and unsatisfied.

The premise sounded so up my alley (I am a fellow art girlie, I went to art school, and I love me a good museum). But this fell so flat and was so hard to follow. Something about the writing style felt so monotone. Even the formatting was confusing to me. I couldn't tell when people were talking and when they were, I couldn't tell who was talking to who.

This story was also so lackluster. Nothing really happened throughout the entire book and maybe that was the point, but I felt like the blurb didn't do a good job of letting me know that (if that was the case).

And the characters were so monotone too. No one had any personality.

I do think that there is an audience for this book, but it just was not me. And I really don't have anything else to say about this book other than that. And I do think that should say a lot (because I am the type of person that can talk about a single book for hours on end). There is so much drama in the art world! You could've given me so much drama!

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My review is up on Goodreads and my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly wrap-up.

I wanted to take a moment to extend my heartfelt thanks to NetGalley for providing me with the eARC of this incredible book! I absolutely loved diving into this story and following Diana’s journey throughout. The way the narrative unfolded, with Diana and the museum's eclectic and engaging characters, really drew me in. They felt like a genuine, endearing group, and it was a joy to experience their triumphs and tribulations alongside them. There were moments of laughter and a few that brought tears to my eyes, highlighting the emotional depth of the story. I’m eagerly looking forward to the book’s official release and will definitely be adding a physical copy to my bookshelf as soon as it’s available. Once again, thank you so much for this advanced reading copy; it was a truly memorable read, and I can’t wait to recommend it to others!