Book Review: Funny Story
Finally! A happy book that comes through for me, but then again, you can never go wrong with Emily Henry. At first glance, this book isn’t happy at all. In fact, it is a hot mess. There is a saying that certain books find you when you need them the most, and seeing as life has been a little messy, it felt only appropriate for me to read.
Daphne has upped her life to move to Michigan to live with her fiancé, Peter. But not too long before her wedding, Peter leaves her for his childhood best friend, Petra. Daphne subsequently moves in with Petra’s ex-boyfriend, Miles and begins plans to move away after a read-a-thon at the children’s library where she works. So yeah, it’s messy, awfully messy. My god, I think we can agree Peter and Petra are the arseholes here, but this isn’t a book review about how awful the ‘other person’ is, we’d be here all day. But, despite it all, Daphne and Miles have a sort of kinship or they trauma bond, depending on how you see it.
I think if we are to look at the relationships in this book, there is one that Henry looks at, which I think is the most important, and that is the relationship we have with ourselves. Daphne’s arc throughout this book is learning to be on her own and to evaluate the relationship she had with Peter. Sometimes we can’t always see the wood from the trees, and Daphne soon comes to realise that, actually, perhaps Peter wasn’t all he’s cracked up to be. Did she have her own friends? Or were they just his friends that had kinda adopted her… only to vanish off the face of the earth when he leaves her… awkward. The lesson here is that ‘growth’ doesn’t always happen in the ways we expect, and can happen even under the most painful circumstances, and luckily comes out bruised but better. So, ladies, if you’re reading this, having your own tribe, friends, hobbies, and social life is important. Learn to have a life outside of your relationship, and you’ll be fine.
I’ve found that this book asks you about your priorities. Relationships? Sure, but with whom and with what? Daphne and Miles decide to prioritise themselves for the time being. What starts as roommates, to friends(ish), to fake dating, to actual dating, is really about healing and not judging a book by its cover. Healing is the main priority for both characters. Okay, so fake dating makes things weird, but then you would fake-date your ex-fiancé’s new fiancé's ex-boyfriend after receiving a wedding invite, not even a month after you’ve had to cancel your wedding to said ex-fiancé. It’s called healing, guys. It’s also a massive f*ck you, but it’s also healing, too. Mostly. Other relationships need healing, too, for Daphne and, indeed, Miles; it’s their families. Daphne has a shit dad, and Miles has a narcissistic mother. So healing, healing and more healing. I found that rather cathartic.
I think the main takeaway from this novel isn’t necessarily the happy ending we get for Miles and Daphne its how they get there. They do a lot of growing up, a lot of soul searching and yes, healing. In the end, they are much better off, happier too, I’d say, and while it’s also cathartic to know that Peter and Petra’s relationship crashes and burns, it almost doesn’t matter; they become background noise because their happiness isn’t defined by the failures of the past and they are much better off for it.