A shimmering, joyful new novel about a pair of opposites with the wrong thing in common.
Daphne always loved the way her fiancé Peter told their story. How they met (on a blustery day), fell in love (over an errant hat), and moved back to his lakeside hometown to begin their life together. He really was good at telling it…right up until the moment he realized he was actually in love with his childhood best friend Petra.
Which is how Daphne begins her new story: Stranded in beautiful Waning Bay, Michigan, without friends or family but with a dream job as a children’s librarian (that barely pays the bills), and proposing to be roommates with the only person who could possibly understand her predicament: Petra’s ex, Miles Nowak.
Scruffy and chaotic—with a penchant for taking solace in the sounds of heart break love ballads—Miles is exactly the opposite of practical, buttoned up Daphne, whose coworkers know so little about her they have a running bet that she’s either FBI or in witness protection. The roommates mainly avoid one another, until one day, while drowning their sorrows, they form a tenuous friendship and a plan. If said plan also involves posting deliberately misleading photos of their summer adventures together, well, who could blame them?
But it’s all just for show, of course, because there’s no way Daphne would actually start her new chapter by falling in love with her ex-fiancé’s new fiancée’s ex…right?
This is it: my favourite book of the summer. Funny Story is a magnificent summer read by one of my favourite authors. Henry's novel is hilarious, cute, and tender. I found myself laughing out loud several times (sometimes in public) and I would highly recommend this novel to anyone looking for the perfect beach read.
Essentially, Daphne and Miles have had a horrible few weeks. Their respective exes have left them for... each other. Unbelievably awful, right? Kicked out of her own home, Daphne moves into the only place she knows of that has a recent vacancy; she moves in with Miles. Unsurprisingly, they are both forlorn and grieving after their break-ups.
However, Daphne and Miles try to make sure that their unfortunate circumstances don't ruin their beautiful Michigan summer. After they drunkenly decide to fake-date one night when they are invited to their exes' wedding, the two begin to spend lots of quality time together exploring Waning Bay and grow to be close friends.
Funny Story is about resilience, hope, and happiness in the face of catastrophe. The characters face tremendous heartbreak but fight for their own happy endings. I really loved the portrayal of Daphne and Mile's relationship. They start out by fake-dating — a wonderfully entertaining trope — and then it is delectably wonderful to see how their relationship continues to develop.
Their trips and outings around Michigan are some of the best scenes in the novel; from kayaking in Lake Michigan to exploring local food markets, Daphne and Miles begin to cement themselves as part of the local community, which is a new, exciting feeling for Daphne.
Moreover, I very much enjoyed the family dynamics in this novel. Watching Daphne traverse her relationship with her father was at times heartbreaking, but also profound and real. Similarly, watching Miles traverse his relationship with his sister and parents was tough but rewarding. I also loved the entire cast of side characters, and I appreciated the sustained focus on friendship throughout the story.
I could not recommend Funny Story more. The romance is delectable, the scenes are funny and colourful, and the story itself is full of heart. If you like children's libraries, fake dating, and fun summer adventures, this novel is for you.
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