Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Trapezoid-ish Shape of Friends

When you spend hours upon end hanging out with the characters of a novel, parting with them is, as they say, such sweet sorrow (emphasis on the sorrow when the hours were well-spent). In the case of Circle of Friends by Maeve Binchy, I was pretty bummed that I would no longer be able to have an outlet for my inner voyeurist by glimpsing into the minds of Nan, Jack, Benny and Eve (to name just a few of her colorful characters).

The plot summary on the back of the book reads almost like a slightly less "fluffy" version of a young adult melodrama, not straying too far from novels like Confessions of a Shopaholic. Binchy has immense skill when it comes to interweaving seemingly unrealated threads of a story into an intriguing literary tapestry. What begins as a simple story involving only a few prominent characters including the protagonist, Benny Hogan, slowly builds and builds until it involves all of the residents of a small town in Ireland as well as a good deal of students from a university in Dublin. I'm fairly certain that an experienced spider would have difficulty weaving a web of interconnected threads with such skill.

The plot comes off as simple enough- it is the tale of Benny, an Irish girl brought up in a one-horse town in Ireland called Knockglen, who heads off to University in Dublin and meets a new circle of friends (hence the title). However, despite this simplicity, it is full of juicy elements to hook the reader- love and lust, ultimate betrayal, friendship and loyalty, and everything else that humanity is based on. Her hometown and its inhabitants clash in dramatic ways which we see coming and those which we don't, with those of Dublin. One of the best parts of the book are when we know what is going on in the mind of certain characters and no one else does. This happens rather often throughout, and keeps the reader on the edge of their seat. All of the drama and complexities between all of the relationships among the characters lead me to think that their "circle" is more like a shape with many more sides.

I am not sure if too many male readers would enjoy this book, but it certainly was a great read without a dull moment. I heard that it was made into an abomination of a movie which was an embarrassment to the novel, so I don't think I will be checking that one out anytime soon.

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