Published: 6th December 2013
Publisher: Adams Media
Pages: 128
Format: Graphic Novel
Genre: Fiction
★ ★ ★ ★ – 4 Stars
I have a confession to make.
I think I am in friend-love with you.
What’s friend-love? It’s that super-awesome bond you share with someone who makes you happy every time you text each other, or meet up for an epic outing. It’s not love-love. You don’t want to swap saliva; you want to swap favourite books. But it’s just as intense and just as amazing.
And it’s this search for that connection that comic-book artist Yumi Sakugawa captures in I Think I Am in Friend-Love with You. It’s perfect if you’ve ever fallen in friend-love and want to show that person how much you love them…in a platonic way, of course.
I really loved this book. It has a super sweet message about how important friendships are and how they can hold as much weight and importance as romantic relationships. The illustrations are both cute and a teeny bit horrifying but I liked the layout and how Sakugawa keeps it simple but profound. Emotions are portrayed sometimes without words and the figures in this book have no real shape or gender so it’s perfect for all friendships.
The narration is first person addressing another and with basic illustrations alongside the words their affections are described. From simple things like sharing a love of books, enjoying movies together, hanging out and sharing small thoughts about their day are all ways they love their friend. It also covers other things like wanting to be near them and have long conversations over tea and stay up late chatting online. What makes me love this is it shows how the smallest things can mean so much. Spending time together, sharing passions and small gestures are all miniature acts of love that make friendships so special.
This was the perfect book until it got to the end. I was disappointed only because I felt it altered the intention of the book and the story that was being expressed and it changed the dynamics slightly. It didn’t ruin the story, it was still conveying the same overall message, but that changed made it slightly less perfect for me.
What made it fabulous was I could see so much of my own friendships in this story and seeing it as a universal experience, as well as one treated with affection, sincerity and a small amount of humour was really wonderful. It’s heart-warming and sweet and I love that this kind of book exists; it put everything I have ever wanted to say to my friends into words and it was so refreshing to see such an honest, loving and genuine book about love and friendship.
You can purchase I Think I am in Friend-Love With You via the following
Dymocks | Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust
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