Fiona Mozley’s third novel, *Awake Awake*, explores the lasting impact of adolescent friendships on adult identity through the lens of a young woman recovering from a psychological breakdown. The story begins with Mary Mooney, a writer in her late 20s, who returns to her hometown of York after struggling with a troubling blur between reality and delusion. Haunted by vivid, possibly imagined memories, Mary endeavors to piece together the events and relationships that shaped her youth.

Set in the early 2000s, the narrative centers on Mary and her close-knit group of friends — Amelia, Eve, and Eric, a boy who transferred from the United States during high school. Their bond forms amid shared experiences of music, politics, and the looming conflict in Iraq. However, underlying tensions simmer in their lives, reflecting discord in their family environments and the fraught dynamics among peers. Instances of violence permeate the story: a schoolboy strikes another with a stick, nearly causing his death by drowning, while Eve responds physically to antisemitic slurs. Mary herself grapples with the possible consequences of a violent episode predating her own life, adding a layer of mystery to the group’s unfolding story.

Throughout the novel, therapy sessions punctuate Mary’s attempts to untangle her memories and understand the causes of her mental health struggles. The narration deliberately challenges the reader’s sense of what is factual and what may be a construct of Mary’s fractured perception. As she revisits her adolescent years, the novel resists a straightforward chronology or clear resolution, emphasizing the chaotic, often nonlinear nature of memory and history.

Mozley’s treatment of teenage friendship captures both its intensity and fragility. The relationships portrayed are marked by joy, hardship, and eventual fracturing, influenced by ordinary tensions like unrequited crushes and deeper undercurrents of conflict. While some narrative elements, such as the significance of the childhood bully, remain ambiguous, the novel persistently probes the emotional landscape that defines the transition from youth to adulthood.

*Awake Awake* aligns with other contemporary literary reflections on adolescence, joining works like Meg Wolitzer’s *The Interestings* and Claire Messud’s *The Burning Girl* in examining how formative friendships can shape and haunt individuals long after their dissolution. The novel offers a contemplative, if at times disorienting, portrayal of memory, identity, and recovery.