Skip to main content

The Friends - A Book Review


The Friends


by Rosa Guy


The saying, ‘A friend in need is a friend indeed’, goes right about Edith, the only friend of Phyllisia, the lead character in the story The Friends by Rosa Guy. Phyllisia with her snobbish behaviour instead befriended Edith only if she needed her. Edith stood by her when students in the class booed and bullied her. Since then Phyllisia knew, though she hated to be seen with ragamuffin like Edith, she needed her the most. After all Edith is the only friend she has in Harlem. Her bond with Calvin her father is diminishing. She did things to spite him like bunking classes, staying out late with strangers. After her father chased out Edith of the house, Phyllisia did not bother about checking on her even when she heard Edith’s brother Randy had died. 

Amidst all chaos she lost her mother, her only solace. Instead of being with her Phyllisia indulged in the diversions of youth, desperately avoiding her guilt feelings for not being there for Edith. Phyllisia hesitated to approach Edith as guilt and fear shadowed her mind. But the voice of her mother and her revelations about Phyllisia made her look within and evaluate herself. After the deep conversation with her mother’s spirit, Phyllisia braved herself and visited Edith only to find that she was to join her sisters at the orphanage. Without knowing Calvin was planning to take her sister Ruby and Phyllisia back to their island, she promised Edith to visit her every week. To keep the promise and to make up the times Phyllisia  turned her back at Edith, she somehow succeeded to make Calvin, her rude and fearsome father to soften and drop the idea of sending them back to the island.



Phyllisia, the lead character in the story is confused about what she is and what she believes. Though she hates her father for his rough and abusive behaviour and his attitude towards the less privileged, it is evident to the reader that she is not less than him. The guilt inside her voiced out and pointed her mistakes. What she had assumed about herself and her father were simply what she wanted to believe in and not the truth. This story sheds light to the human behaviour of one side thinking. The assumptions and the truth differ. It only takes a matter of time if you look within and understand how you valuate things. Most of the time what we reflect of others character is the reflection of ourselves. Rosa Guy has neatly interwoven that into the story, which also portrays how a friendship is formed, suffered, and maintained in spite of the issues. If Phyllisia had no regrets or repented she would not have got Edith' friendship back. It teaches the basic lesson in a friendship of being there for each other in each others’ need and of forgiving to maintain friendship. 

Age Group: 15 Years and Above.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

For the Life of Laetitia - A Book Review

For the Life of Laetitia  by Merle Hodge For the Life of Laetitia - Front Cover For the Life of Laetitia I am glad I bought this book. For the Life of Laetitia is a must-have in our children’s collection.  I u sually do not go for those books that has a smaller font size and a very little spacing between the lines like in this book or suggest it for children either, but this is an exceptional book and I recommend it for your children. Once in a while let our kids drop those fantasy books and read some realistic stuff like these. The language is simple and vocabulary is easy to understand even for the young readers. In short, I got hooked to it as soon as I started reading. For the Life of Laetitia- Back Cover In For the Life of Laetitia , Merle Hodge has beautifully captured the dreams and life of Laetitia, a young Caribbean girl, who became the first one ever in her family to attend secondary school. In spite of poverty and racism she strives to a...

Know the Author - Merle Hodge

Merle Hodge Merle Hodge Born in Trinidad in 1944, Merle Hodge along with her 3 sisters were taken care of by her grandmother. Raised up by the tough lady, she became bold and   independent. Merle Hodge was one among a very few who attended secondary school. She later won a scholarship to join for Undergraduate Degree and later for Masters in Philosophy. Merle Hodge is the first African Caribbean to publish a novel, Crick Crack, Monkey in 1970. It was followed by another book, For the Life of Laetitia for young adults. Her writings, reflects the colonial education, culture and lifestyle of the colonized. Her books throw light into the racism, gender discrimination and social divisions during post colonial period. In addition to the novels, Merle Hodge has also written short stories, essays and articles on her observation on the Caribbean families and society. Books Written by the Author: Crick Crack, Monkey For the Life of Laetitia The Knots in English: A Ma...

Getting Granny’s Glasses - A Book Review

Getting Granny’s Glasses by Ruskin Bond Getting Granny’s Glasses is a short story written for children. The story is about Grandma's journey together with her grandson to buy new glasses for her. Mani, the 11 year old lost his mother in his early childhood and was brought up by his grandmother.  Her eyes were getting weaker, her glasses older. So Mani insisted on getting new glasses for his granny. It was a 2 day journey to Mussoorie and granny’s first trip outside her village after ten years.  The journey on foot and in the bus was quite eventful. Though a landslide in between the journey brought an abrupt stop to their exciting adventure, it was his granny’s willpower that made them continue their journey in a different route. After all, giving up is not an option for a granny who still manages to climb trees even in her late sixties. At last they reached the town, bought new glasses for granny and came back. Mani enjoyed travelling and shopping with his granny. Granny got h...