8 Novels That Explore the Dynamics of Friendship

Dylan Read is America’s Popstar. Ever since her debut album ran up the charts when she was only a senior in high school, she’s been the apple of the music world’s eye. But few know the role that her friend Kelsey had played in her meteoric rise in fame before Kelsey vanished. When Kelsey’s body is found in the lake in their hometown, Dylan has to finally face her past. It’s a story about those foundational friendships, the ones that change our lives in expected ways. But it’s also about loss and guilt in friendships. It’s a story about fame, music, and the baggage we carry from our pasts.

What do you do if your former best friend comes to you seeking answers about their life? That’s what Jewel Stone has to face. She’s struggling with writer’s block as a successful writer when her former BFF and bookstore owner, Shelby Andrews, comes to her for help. Shelby had been in a biking accident with no memory of the past twelve years. So she goes to her best friend to get her through this, since Shelby has no memory of their falling out. But the past never stays the past, and if they are going to reconcile, they will have to face the demons of their former friendship.

There aren’t many books told from a collective perspective or group-think narration, but We Ride Upon Sticks makes it work. It’s the story of the 1989 Danvers Falcons, a high school field hockey team made up of girls and one boy, in Salem, MA. The team is doing well, but to ensure their success, they decide to invoke supernatural powers to secure their victory. It’s the story of the entire team, diving in and out of each person’s narrative while exploring how teams bring people together and foster friendships.

This was one of my favorite books in 2017, and it’s the first book that comes to mind when thinking about friendship. Friends since their freshman year of college, Sharon Kisses and Mel Vaught have a strong connection even as they are polar opposites: Sharon is the quiet one, while Mel lives life loudly and largely. Part of their connection lies in their love for underground comics and animation, and they strive to make their mark in the world of animation. When they finally hit it big with an animated film based on a real-life tragedy, fame comes for them. But using someone else’s story, as well as the differences in their personalities, starts to cause cracks in their seemingly unbreakable friendship. It’s got it all: friendship, ambition, and love of art.

The painting is called “The One of the Sea.” It’s so intriguing that Louisa, a 17-year-old artist, sneaks into an auction house to peek at it before it goes on sale. Most people see it as a painting about the sea, but Louisa is obsessed with the three small figures sitting on a pier in the corner. Her instincts are correct, because the painting is about the dynamics of four teenagers: the artist and his three friends. It’s a story about the messiness of being a teenager, the injustice and anguish of tragedies, and the friends who will help to get you through it all. It’s a story about ambition and love of art. It’s from the same author as the bestselling novel A Man Called Ove.

I loved loved loved this book. It’s about friendship, art, and video games. Its core is the friendship of Sam Masur and Sadie Green, who create a blockbuster video game that skyrockets them into stardom. For me, it’s important to have a book about a woman and a man where romantic love is not key. The book follows three decades of their partnership and friendship through all the ups and downs in their lives. I love the tagline for the novel: “Yes, it is a love story, but it is not one you have read before.”

This was one of my favorite reads of last year. Yeongju breaks from the life she had spent so long building: a successful career and marriage. She realizes she needs more, so she builds a bookstore in a neighborhood—but has no idea who she is and what the bookstore should be. She’s lost in her own sorrow and guilt for ending her marriage. Thanks to the bookshop, Yeongju ends up befriending the people around her who help her move on with her life as she helps them figure out their own path. It’s a story about the power of a place that fosters friendships and how that changes people’s lives.

Last but not least, we have a book about toxic friendships with a dash of magic. Nina and Jess have been close friends since their childhood…but they share a secret. They can touch their foreheads together and swap bodies. Jess can experience a happy family life in Nina’s life, and Nina can be more daring in Jess’s body. But what was easy in childhood gets much more difficult as adults. Betrayals and unearthed secrets emerge, showing that there is such a thing as being too close to someone.