We All Want Impossible Things

"Nora-Ephron-style wit...comforting, so funny, moving... one of my favourite books ever" MARIAN KEYES

"Dazzling, heart-wrenching, snorty-hilarious... An utter joy to read" RACHEL JOYCE

"An absolute masterpiece in characterisation... utterly beautiful." JOANNA CANNON

"Tragically funny, with moments of clarity and wisdom, Newman writes loss and laughter in equally brilliant amounts." BONNIE GARMUS

"You'll stay up late devouring every word" KATHERINE HEINY

"One of the best novels on friendship I've ever read" AJ PEARCE

Who knows you better than your best friend? Who knows your secrets, your fears, your desires, your strange imperfect self? Edi and Ash have been best friends for over forty years. Since childhood they have seen each other through life's milestones: stealing vodka from their parents, the Madonna phase, REM concerts, unexpected wakes, marriages, infertility, children.

As Ash notes, 'Edi's memory is like the back-up hard drive for mine.'

So when Edi is diagnosed with terminal cancer, Ash's world reshapes around the rhythms of Edi's care, from chipped ice and watermelon cubes to music therapy; from snack smuggling to impromptu excursions into the frozen winter night. Because life is about squeezing the joy out of every moment, about building a powerhouse of memories, about learning when to hold on, and when to let go.

For fans of Nora Ephron and Sorrow & Bliss, We All Want Impossible Things is a deeply moving, jubilant celebration of life and friendship at its imperfect, radiant, and irreverent best.

"Smart and funny and devastating...has huge Sorrow and Bliss vibes. I didn't want it to end." LAURA PEARSON

"I absolutely adored this...what a beautiful, emotional novel" JILL MANSELL

"Funny and tender and life affirming and quite simply GLORIOUS....The way the friendship is depicted in this story is a masterpiece" SARAH TURNER

"Shot through with whip-smart humour and boundless compassion.

It's one of the best debuts I've read in a long time." HANNAH BECKERMAN

"Oh, this glorious book! With warmth, wit, tenderness and a singular voice, Catherine Newman encapsulates both the heartbreak and yet vital necessity of a life lived with deep friendship." WIZ WHARTON

"One of those books I will be buying for everyone I know. A funny, moving, beautifully written book...will stay with me for a very long time" JENNIE GODFREY

"A riotously funny and fiercely loyal love letter to female friendship" AMITY GAIGE