by Erin Flanagan

I wasn’t in a serious, romantic relationship until my mid 30s, so for the formative years of my life, my most central relationships were with friends and not romantic partners.

These women were the ones I called in the middle of the night, who joined me on vacation, who celebrated my victories, and who comforted me when things went wrong. For me, these friendships felt just as important as romantic relationships, often with the same giddy rush of falling in love just without the sex.

It led me to wonder, what might happen in that heady rush of new love if, much like in a romantic relationship, a person wasn’t able to see the red flags?

My latest novel Come with Me centers around such a female friendship. In the book, newly widowed mother Gwen Maner finds out her husband burned through their savings and let the life insurance lapse before his death.

Desperate for a job, she reaches out to old acquaintance Nicola Kimmel, who helps set her up in a new town, in a new house, with a job well beyond her qualifications. Sure, some of Nicola’s methods might be less than above board—she massages Gwen’s resume to get her the job and signs a lease in her own name locking Gwen in as a neighbor—but to Gwen, it looks like the answers to her problems.

When I set out to write this book, I thought a lot about the dynamics of the two main characters and what might make Gwen especially susceptible to Nicola’s manipulation. She’s just lost her husband; she lacks confidence; she’s now a single parent and a partial caregiver for her mom.

Erin Flanagan

For Nicola, I looked at what in her past has made her want to be in control of another person. Spoiler alert: it wasn’t a romantic relationship.

The thing I find interesting about these too fast, too close friendships is that while they can turn co-dependent, they don’t necessarily start out that way. Gwen wants someone to take care of her; Nicola wants someone to save. When Gwen finds she can take care of herself, does it strengthen the friendship or tighten the noose?

Well, the book is a thriller, after all, so you can probably guess. But I’ll say this: In a way, I think both women end up with a better understanding of themselves, which may, in the end, be something we should ask of any relationship.

I ended up dedicating this book to four women—all kick-ass ladies and the best friends I could ask for. But secretly, I owe just as much to the women who taught me about red flags. And to the women, I’m guessing, I taught about red flags, too.

But for the same reason I wouldn’t dedicate a book to an ex-boyfriend, I’ll let those women rest in anonymity.

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Erin Flanagan is the author of two story collections and three novels including Deer Season, winner of the 2022 Edgar for Best First Novel, and the most recent Come with Me. She is an English professor at Wright State University and a regular book reviewer for Publishers Weekly. For more information about her and her writing, please visit www.erinflanagan.net or say hello on Twitter and Instagram at @erinlflanagan.

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