The Experiment: Friends, Filters, and Life Without Them

Publisher Marketing: Brimming with humor and wry observations, motivational angst, and heart-tugging sentiment, THE EXPERIMENT is a funny novel that leaves a lasting impression. Janelle Walth is a successful column writer, a responsible mother, and a loved and loving wife. But in the face of unsettling recent discoveries and a looming fortieth birthday, Janelle begins to question the actual quality of her relationships. Steadily disillusioned with the false and hollow nature of her friendships, Janelle concludes she's ready for a change -- true friendship or nothing at all. Thus, she commits herself to a private, but full-scale, no-holds barred truth-telling in letters. When she delivers all she has to say to her friends at the birthday party she's strategically invited them to, Janelle will know which of her friendships can withstand the litmus test of truth. Recognizing the inherent risks in such a bold move, Janelle observes ..".that one frightening possibility is my friends will return the favor. Whoosh! They'll be honest too. In helpful reciprocation, my friends will unleash all their pent-up secrets about me. They'll confirm my fears, validate my insecurities. They'll draw a squeaky highlighter over every one of my flaws. And even worse than all that, they might make me aware of things I had previously been oblivious to. Like that time when a friend of mine pointed out a mole on my shoulder that would be easy to remove." Still, calculating the range of risk, from comic to tragic, Janelle deems the possibility worth the price. If she's ever going to secure genuine friendship, she's got to tell her friends the truth. Moving toward the climax of Janelle's fortieth birthday party, the reader follows the ins and outs of her relational history. Getting to know each quirky, flawed, noble, or pathetic friend, the reader can't help but emotionally connect with each one and also anxiously wonder: Will Janelle's calculated mid-life crisis turn out to be the relational redemption she's looking for, or will her birthday simply be the last time Janelle has friends? Witty, irreverent, and gently profound, THE EXPERIMENT is an unforgettable look at what we think we know about our relationships and what exposing the truth can really do. Contributor Bio:  Blake, Joylynn Walter Allen is a WWII veteran, a graduate of Baylor University and of Southwestern Theological Seminary. He and his wife Billie served for twenty-two years as career missionaries in East Africa. Now in their eighties, Walter and Billie live on a small farm in East Texas, and Walter continues to preach as well as serve as chaplain for his local chapter of the American Legion. Walter and Billie have raised three children and many dogs and monkeys.