Who is "You" in the novel, The Friend: A Novel?

“You” is the unnamed narrator’s friend who has recently committed suicide. Before his death, “you” was a famous writer and writing instructor, who was very close with the unnamed narrator. The last thing “you” told the narrator before he died was “best wishes for the new year” (2). Throughout the novel, the narrator repeats that “you” said this to her, underlining the irony in the statement: “you” wishes the narrator “best wishes for the new year,” knowing that he himself will never see another year.