In the late 1990s, protagonists Taline and Valerie meet in college and become best friends. During the following two decades, they move to different cities, attend graduate school, explore careers, have kids, and fall in and out of love. Their lives and their shifting friendship are the subject of Nicole Haroutunian’s novel-in-stories, (Noemi Press, March 2024). The premises of Haroutunian’s tales are simple—Valerie attending a Halloween party, Taline and some fellow artists checking out one another’s work—and many of the characters’ major life changes occur beyond the
