Elizabeth Day

Elizabeth Day on Friendaholic

We are so excited that the creator of the award-winning podcast How To Fail and author of the Sunday Times bestselling Magpie, Elizabeth Day, will be joining us in St Andrews to celebrate the release of her new book Friendaholic.

As a society, there is a tendency to elevate romantic love. But what about friendships? Aren't they just as - if not more - important? So why is it hard to find the right words to express what these uniquely complex bonds mean to us? In Friendaholic: Confessions of a Friendship Addict, Elizabeth Day embarks on a journey to answer these questions.

Growing up, Elizabeth wanted to make everyone like her. Lacking friends at school, she grew up to believe that quantity equalled quality. Having lots of friends meant you were loved, popular and safe. She was determined to become a "Good Friend". And, in many ways, she did. But in adulthood she slowly realised that it was often to the detriment of her own self.

Then, when a global pandemic hit in 2020, she was one of many who were forced to reassess what friendship really meant to them - with the crisis came a dawning realisation: her truest friends were not always the ones she had been spending most time with.

Friendaholic unpacks the significance and evolution of friendship. From exploring her own personal friendships and the distinct importance of each of them in her life, to the unique and powerful insights of others across the globe, Elizabeth asks why there isn't yet a language that can express its crucial influence on our world.