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My Ex-Best Friend Book Summary and Study Guide

Detailed plot synopsis reviews of My Ex-Best Friend




Simon & Schuster, July 2003, 23.00, 242 pp.
ISBN 0743244222

After twenty-three years of friendship, Lydia Finelli has dropped out of the life of Claire Newman just when she gave birth to the twins. A hurt Claire goes on with her life, balancing her family's need against her full time job as a star journalist at Nationweek. When Claire runs into Lydia at the local bakery, she asks Claire if she can call her, Claire who'd desperately needs to know why Lydia cut her off so completely agrees.
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Lydia sets up an appointment for Claire to meet her at her home. When Claire arrives, she finds Lydia dead in her bed, the victim of an apparent suicide. Claire reestablishes her relationship with Lydia's husband Matthew and his son Collin but can't help wondering why Lydia killed herself. As she starts investigating she finds small, but almost insignificant clues that prove that Lydia may have been murdered and she goes all out to confirm her theory even when she knows she is putting her own life in danger.

Beth Brophy's underlying theme throughout the whole book is that evil often wears the face of goodness so people can't tell the monster living amongst them. Readers' hearts will go out to the heroine, a woman hurt by her friend's coldness, but who still cares enough about her to bring her killer to justice and make sure that her son is psychologically healing. Claire treats Lydia's death as she would a news-breaking story, investigating all reasonable theories and following up on the smallest clues. MY EX-BEST FRIEND is a fascinating work of psychological suspense.

Harriet Klausner

The review of this Book prepared by Harriet Klausner



Chapter Analysis of My Ex-Best Friend

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Plot & Themes

Composition of Book descript. of violence and chases 10%Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives 40%Feelings, relationships, character bio/development 30%How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) 20% Tone of story    -   suspenseful (sophisticated fear) How difficult to spot villain?    -   Very difficult--no foreshadowing/clues Time/era of story:    -   2000+ (Present) What % of story relates directly to the mystery, not the subplot?    -   80% Kind of investigator    -   skilled citizen investigator Kid or adult book?    -   Adult or Young Adult Book Any non-mystery subplot?    -   feelings towards family/friends Crime Thriller    -   Yes Murder Mystery (killer unknown)    -   Yes

Main Character

Gender    -   Female Profession/status:    -   journalist Age:    -   40's-50's Ethnicity/Race    -   White/American

Setting

United States    -   Yes The US:    -   Southeast

Writing Style

Accounts of torture and death?    -   generic/vague references to death/punishment Amount of dialog    -   significantly more dialog than descript

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Beth Brophy Books Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s).
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