Books
Elyssa Friedlands new novel,The Most Likely Club, takes on thwarted millennial ambition.
(Her first book was titledLove and Miss Communication.)
Was anything young women in the 90s were promised about their futures actually true?
The four protagonists have remained friends since high school, even as their lives have diverged.
What did you get to do with this book that you havent in your previous work?
Focus exclusively on women and friendship.
In the second book, about a marriage, I gave equal footing to the husband and wife.
Its complicated for each of them in very different ways.
Why did you choose that frame?
How did we change from when we were that age to this age?
It was a fun entry point into the much larger story I wanted to tell.
Did you have superlatives in your high school yearbook?
They werent allowed in mine.
I did an interview recently where I was asked Do you think superlatives are a bad idea?
Compared to the harshness of social media, superlatives are generally nice.
They appear in a yearbook thats overseen by a faculty adviser and published through the school.
So theyre largely positive.
I have a favorable to neutral view on high school superlatives.
Did any of theMost Likely Clubcharacters experiences feel especially important to you to explore?
They all were in different ways.
For me personally, it was cathartic to write Priya, whose life is probably the closest to mine.
Shes a working professional, her husbands a working professional, and they have three children.
Thats something I think about all the time.
Im not the primary breadwinner, but I definitely work as much as my husband does.
Why do I know when theyre due for the dentist?
How did you decide to include that storyline?
Melissas reckoning with her life since high school feels the most complicated.
Youve seen this story before.
But it doesnt matter; you cant protect her.
She has to go through it.
You dont know what youre talking about.
You didnt have Snapchat.
Isnt that true, though?
Social media has profoundly impacted adolescence, especially for girls.
Its not like we didn’t feel left out.
And thats all still happening for Melissa, right?
Yes, she still hates her body.
I dont understand why you cant write about someone who hates their body.
Trying to lose a few pounds, or a lot of pounds, before a reunion is pretty common.
I sometimes feel like people are not being honest.
Theyre like, Oh, but the friends werent always there for each other.
Do you feel pressure from readers, or anyone else, to make your characters good influences?
Some of my characters might, but not because I set out with that intention.
Its not like I applaud her for being obsessed with her weight.
Ichoseto make her someone whos very insecure about her body.
I did that to show that some of the scars from high school leave a mark.
Think about kids who stutter and get made fun of.
Even those who overcome the stutter still may not feel confident speaking in public.
People who werent good students and then become really, really successful can still carry a bit of insecurity.
They cant let it go because that injury happens at such a vulnerable age.
Why was it important to you to have one character take this path?
I dont think that ambitious, powerful women will ever be that well received.
I dont know that that will ever change.
I think that some things are just so deeply wired in our society that were kind of doomed.
After the call, her friends reflect that she doesnt seem happy.
I wouldnt say so.
For a man or a woman, if youre in a really powerful job, youre really stressed.
But no matter who you are, you have employees.
Youre a public face.
That bang out of professional success is complicated for anyone.
Its normal to not always be super happy.
yo talk about the Make App and whether you are launching it as a side hustle.
I wanted a female-oriented business.
I was thinking a little bit about Sara Blakely and Spanx.
This is a similar thing.
But yes, in a business sense, Make App is a great idea.
I wish someone would do it.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
This article was originally published onSep.
