Private Side of Friendship by Alexander McCall Smith

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?

Edinburgh, 1984. Six students are facing the end of an academic year, preparing to go their separate ways in a changing world. Years later, they meet for a reunion, for what may well betheir last evening together. It soon becomes clear to all that sometimes you have to let go of the past. You take away its lessons, but you let the rest go.

About the Author:

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.

02 Oct 2025
 

The Private Side of Friendship: A Standalone Novel by Alexander McCall Smith ISBN 9781846977299