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A review by casskrug
First Love: Essays on Friendship by Lilly Dancyger
5.0
this book is a balm for the soul - 15 love letters from lilly dancyger to the most important women in her life. as someone whose closest friendships have recently surpassed the decade mark, so many of the feelings dancyger describes here are in tune with my own experience. the all-consuming nature of best friendship when you’re a teenager, the unmatched care we receive from and give to our friends, the growing apart and growing back together again, the countless hilarious and sweet memories, the unique and tender view we have of the people that mean the most to us in the world.
this essay collection was also a look into experiences that my group of friends hasn’t had yet. mutual mothering was a standout essay for me, where dancyger witnesses her friends becoming mothers, grapples with whether or not she wants to have a child, and reflects on the special ways in which we can act as mothers to our friends. dancyger doesn’t find a clear answer on if she will have children or not, and i appreciated the honesty with which she explored related questions.
i also really loved portraiture, a collaboration between lilly and her friend courtney, who is a photographer. the conversation they had about simply being yourself with a close friend and the resulting series of photographs was so interesting.
the essays discussing sylvia plath and heavenly creatures were other favorites as well. i’ve talked before about how the references an author incorporates can make or break a book, and i think dancyger did a great job at using the writer and the movie as backdrops for stories about her friends.
the urge to buy copies of this book for all my friends is so so real!
this essay collection was also a look into experiences that my group of friends hasn’t had yet. mutual mothering was a standout essay for me, where dancyger witnesses her friends becoming mothers, grapples with whether or not she wants to have a child, and reflects on the special ways in which we can act as mothers to our friends. dancyger doesn’t find a clear answer on if she will have children or not, and i appreciated the honesty with which she explored related questions.
i also really loved portraiture, a collaboration between lilly and her friend courtney, who is a photographer. the conversation they had about simply being yourself with a close friend and the resulting series of photographs was so interesting.
the essays discussing sylvia plath and heavenly creatures were other favorites as well. i’ve talked before about how the references an author incorporates can make or break a book, and i think dancyger did a great job at using the writer and the movie as backdrops for stories about her friends.
the urge to buy copies of this book for all my friends is so so real!