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A review by ellytheskelly
Friends With Boys by Faith Erin Hicks
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
5.0
I was between a 4.5 or 5 rating, and I decided to round up, because I think that I'll still really like this in the future.
I don't want to be that guy, but I fear that some people just really didn't get the point of Friends With Boys! I see a lot of middling reviews saying that Faith Erin Hicks left too many things "unresolved" but I personally disagree.
I think the POINT is for things to be "unresolved," but that the issues that you can't resolve should not be shouldered alone, and there's no secret key to fixing your problems.
First, the ghost. In my opinion, the ghost represents the "elephant in the room" for Maggie's family. Everyone feels the absence of the mother, but it goes unresolved, because it can't be resolved. Daniel can't tell Maggie that her lack of connection with her mother didn't cause her to leave, but he can at least be there with her and listen to that for her, instead of making her bear that burden alone. I think it's really interesting how in a lot of aspects, Maggie branching out and beginning to be a part of the world after being kept away from it for so long was directly at odds with her mother('s wishes). (ex. the movie Alien, going to public school, connecting with her siblings and father...) The "ghost" (literal and figurative) haunting their family doesn't stay, but it doesn't necessarily go away either. What matters more than that is that they all bonded together and addressed it truly. Acceptance. I think this is one of those stories where the problem never really goes away, it just gets a new perspective and character growth.
Even Alistair is "haunted" by his past. Things do not get resolved for him because in real life actions have consequences. And he understands that. I love it.
What a cool coming of age story.
I don't want to be that guy, but I fear that some people just really didn't get the point of Friends With Boys! I see a lot of middling reviews saying that Faith Erin Hicks left too many things "unresolved" but I personally disagree.
I think the POINT is for things to be "unresolved," but that the issues that you can't resolve should not be shouldered alone, and there's no secret key to fixing your problems.
First, the ghost. In my opinion, the ghost represents the "elephant in the room" for Maggie's family. Everyone feels the absence of the mother, but it goes unresolved, because it can't be resolved. Daniel can't tell Maggie that her lack of connection with her mother didn't cause her to leave, but he can at least be there with her and listen to that for her, instead of making her bear that burden alone. I think it's really interesting how in a lot of aspects, Maggie branching out and beginning to be a part of the world after being kept away from it for so long was directly at odds with her mother('s wishes). (ex. the movie Alien, going to public school, connecting with her siblings and father...) The "ghost" (literal and figurative) haunting their family doesn't stay, but it doesn't necessarily go away either. What matters more than that is that they all bonded together and addressed it truly. Acceptance. I think this is one of those stories where the problem never really goes away, it just gets a new perspective and character growth.
Even Alistair is "haunted" by his past. Things do not get resolved for him because in real life actions have consequences. And he understands that. I love it.
What a cool coming of age story.