The Spare Room — Helen Garner

A powerful, witty, and taut novel about a complex friendship between two women--one dying, the other called to care for her--from an internationally acclaimed and award-winning author

How much of ourselves must we give up to help a friend in need? Helen has little idea what lies ahead--and what strength she must muster--when she offers her spare room to an old friend, Nicola, who has arrived in the city for cancer treatment. Skeptical of the medical establishment, and placing all her faith in an alternative health center, Nicola is determined to find her own way to deal with her illness, regardless of the advice Helen offers.

In the weeks that follow, Nicola's battle for survival will turn not only her own life upside down but also those of everyone around her. The Spare Room is a magical gem of a book--gripping, moving, and unexpectedly funny--that packs a huge punch, charting a friendship as it is tested by the threat of death.