5 Bookish Friend Groups I’d Love To Infiltrate

I’ve never been the sort of person who has tons of friends, a huge gang, or an extended social circle. Introvert much? Most likely. Throughout the years my friendships have changed: some evolved, some died off, but if there’s one thing that always stayed the same, it’s that I always considered my closest friends a part of my family. The family I chose.

Most books I read are focused on murder, mayhem, police investigations or some other scary, or slightly depressing topics, so friendships are not a prominent part of the story. Sometimes it even seems like the characters in these books are quite lonely and are only interacting with their colleagues, which is a whole new level of gloomy, if you ask me. In fact, the only crime series I can think of right now where the main character actually had proper friends is the Erika Foster series by Robert Bryndza. Erika had quite an active social life compared to other fictional detectives, and even though I only read the first two books, she did go on quite a few dinners just for fun.

That said, I did read a few books where friend groups were featured and I loved the dynamics it created in these stories.

Top 5 Wednesday is a bookish weekly meme hosted on Goodreads.

The Dream Catcher by Stephen King – Friends with a special bond

Set near the fictional town of Derry, Maine, Dreamcatcher is the story of four lifelong friends: Gary “Jonesy” Jones, Pete Moore, Joe “Beaver” Clarendon and Henry Devlin. As young teenagers, the four saved Douglas “Duddits” Cavell, an older boy with Down syndrome, from a group of sadistic bullies. From their new friendship with Duddits, Jonesy, Beaver, Henry and Pete began to share the boy’s unusual powers, including telepathy, shared dreaming, and seeing “the line”, a psychic trace left by the movement of human beings.

Now as adults, the four guys go on their annual hunting trip where they get caught up in an alien invasion.

Spud by John van de Ruit – The Crazy Eight

John “Spud” Milton and his friends Mad Dog, Gecko, Rambo, Simon, Rain Man, Fatty and Boggo (a.k.a. The Crazy Eight) spend their days in a boarding school in South Africa at the beginning of the 90’s. They are of course not called crazy for nothing. Their hilarious adventures had me laughing so hard, that I was basically crying and had to stop reading the book in public.

It by Stephen King – The Losers Club

Ben, Eddie, Bill, Richie, Stan, Bev and Mike, the 11 year-old misfits, not only form a close bond during the summer of 1957, they also survive meeting the evil clown who lives in the sewers and eats local children on a regular basis, but their friendship is just as strong 30 years later when the evil returns to Derry and the Losers prepare for another face off.

The French Girl by Lexie Elliot – The friends you wish you never had

Kate, Seb, Lara, Tom, Caro and Theo spent a jealousy and lust filled week in France ten years ago. They befriended the girl next door and she went missing. Her body is now found and the friends are under investigation again. Even though most of them moved away and have not been in touch, when they meet again, it’s like no time has passed. Some friends are like that. No matter how long you haven’t seen each other, you can pick it up where you left off. Other friends though? Kind of make you wonder why you even liked them in the first place.

The Chalk Man by C.J. Tudor – The gang with a big secret

Eddie Adams and his friends Hoppo, Fat Gav, Metal Mickey and Nicky are your typical twelve year old kids – with amazing nicknames. They love riding their bikes, hanging out in the park, building a club house and creating secret signs as a way of sending each other messages.
Thirty years later most of them are still share a special bond and see each other frequently. When weird messages start arriving on Ed’s doorstep, the old friends meet again to figure out just what exactly is haunting them from their past.

Who are your favourite fictional friends?