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The Private Side of Friendship

A Standalone Novel

Alexander McCall Smith

$39.99

Hardback

Forthcoming
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English
Polygon An Imprint of Birlinn Limited
01 February 2026
Six friends. One city. The time of their lives.

It's 1988, and on the verge of a reunion with friends she hasn't seen since graduation, Julie recalls her halcyon student days of 1984 and the strange tumultuous time they lived through.

The friends

each from a very different background

are living in a gorgeous terraced flat in their Edinburgh idyll. As they navigate relationships and the unspoken rules of flat sharing, the troubled world all around them seems rather distant. But in the nearby hometown of one of the flatmates, the Miners' Strike is bringing about a huge political shift.

Despite their differences, can these six strangers help each other see the world from a different perspective? Is there such a thing as being too close? And what are the limits of love between friends?
By:  
Imprint:   Polygon An Imprint of Birlinn Limited
Country of Publication:   United Kingdom
Dimensions:   Height: 216mm,  Width: 135mm,  Spine: 18mm
Weight:   392g
ISBN:   9781846977299
ISBN 10:   1846977290
Pages:   272
Publication Date:  
Audience:   General/trade ,  ELT Advanced
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Forthcoming

Alexander McCall Smithis the author of the highly successfulNo. 1 Ladies' Detective Agencyseries, which has sold over twenty-five million copies. Since then he has devoted his time to the writing of fiction and has seen his various series of books translated into over forty-six languages and become bestsellers throughout the world. These include the44 Scotland Streetnovels, first published as a serial novel in theScotsman, theIsabel Dalhousienovels, theVon Igelfeldseries and theCorduroy Mansionsnovels.

Reviews for The Private Side of Friendship: A Standalone Novel

'Pushing into new territory ... [a] typically thoughtful and entertaining novel' * The Scotsman * 'Warm, uplifting, and totally compelling, I couldn’t put it down. Perfect for curling up with a hot chocolate and a slice of cake on a chilly evening, it’s guaranteed to lift your mood' * Sixty Plus Surfers *  'a sweet novel infused with a love of the Athens of the North' * Saga Magazine * 'One of the world's best known authors, takes readers to a city he knows very well –  as six young Edinburgh students embark on a flatshare and navigate new friendships against the backdrop of social unrest of the 1980s miners’ strikes' * BBC Radio 4 Take 4 Books *


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