A PRIMA BEST READ OF 2017

'At once tough and tender, funny and sad, this beautifully written novel articulates the dynamic realities of those wondrous friendships that last a lifetime.' Siri Hustvedt

Anna, Molly, Ming, Caroline, Helen: the Old Friends.

Since adopting their official name aged eleven, they have seen each other through careers, children, illnesses, marriage, divorce, addiction, fame, fall outs.

But now, Anna - fiercely loved mother and friend, and the Old Friends' glue - is diagnosed with cancer again, and this time, tired of recoveries and relapses, pitying looks and exhausting regimes, she simply says: no more.

As her health declines, the politics of the still lived-in world merge with memories of the past while each Old Friend tries to accept the truth of what is happening: they are losing someone they cannot imagine life without.

Before Everything is a celebration of friendship and love between a group of wonderful women.

End of sixth grade they made it their official name. It was a joke one afternoon but they liked the way it sounded. Permanent. The Old Friends. This way, the five girls agree, it's just a fact. And ours forever.

"Redel's prose is artful and insightful ... this is a hugely moving celebration of love, life and friendship." - S Magazine

"Terminal illness doesn't always bring out the best in people, nor does it preclude other sorrows. To find an honest and sympathetic reflection of both truths is refreshing." - Daily Mail

"Bittersweet" - Grazia

"An extraordinary, touching and tender story about female friendship." - Prima Magazine

"A riveting celebration of life and death." - Elle Magazine

"Brings to mind Virginia Woolf's The Waves." - BBC Culture

"Poetic and insightful ... I have been blown away." - Laura Jane Williams, author of Becoming

"An unflinching and affecting look at how one woman's final days change the lives of those around her." - Publishers Weekly

"Terminal illness doesn't always bring out the best in people, nor does it preclude other sorrows. To find an honest and sympathetic reflection of both truths is refreshing." - Daily Mail

"A riveting celebration of life and death." - Elle Magazine

"An extraordinary, touching and tender story about female friendship." - Prima Magazine

"Bittersweet" - Grazia

"Brings to mind Virginia Woolf's The Waves." - BBC Culture

"A touching story of friendship and loss . . . richly realized. The result is an unflinching and affecting look at how one woman's final days change the lives of those around her." - Publishers Weekly

"Redel has crafted a lyrical ode to female friendship, proving that bonds can somehow be made of iron and elastic, sometimes strong and sometimes frail. She fleshes out the five main characters admirably for such a short book, linking each of their most vulnerable memories to their shared crisis. Fans of Anne Tyler and Jennifer Close will adore this warmhearted and clear-eyed novel." - Booklist