Between Friends explores, in thirty-six texts, friendship in the modern
world across a range of scenarios. Several texts investigate the special
nature of male sporting affinities while others reveal the pleasures and
disappointments of friendships with literary writers. The collection's
concern with the neuroses of masculinity is evident in ten vignettes
devoted to male clothing, bodily adornment or sports equipment. The last
six stories, mostly based on archival photographs, imagine scenarios of
extreme male anguish or difficulty.
Overall the collection is a provocative psychological study of sometimes
unconventional relationships which takes readers to a new level of
understanding of the bonds between individuals. A particular strength of
the work is its vivid powers of evocation - of scenarios, events and
relationships - and its witty and often humorous expression of the
significance of the situations recounted. Ranging over a wide spectrum
of social and sporting subjects and interactions - from boxing to
fashion, from the gym to home situation, from war to peace, from exotic
places to familiar environments - the stories' varied styles and forms
aim to capture the particular flavour of the experiences recounted.
