Breakaway Books

Authored by Kristin Hannah; Published 2008; Historical Fiction

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 🏖️🏖️

Firefly Lane tugged at my sisterhood-loving heartstrings. The story of a friendship that spans multiple decades, the novel depicts the pain and joy of traversing life with someone who’s seen you through it all.

In Firefly Lane, Kate and Tully become bonded as teens, in spite of being as different as they can be. Kate comes from a stable and loving home and is, quite simply, not cool. Tully, on the other hand, has a wandering mother who has never stuck around long enough to make any place home, and Tully makes up for it by being the most stylish, fun, and popular teen everywhere she goes. In spite of their differences, they become fixtures in each other’s lives through college, careers, and relationships. They run hot and cold, but they are always there for each other.

It’s possible that I’m simply far too similar to Kate, because reading through this book, I was truly aghast at the stunts that Tully repeatedly pulls and wondered time and time again why Kate continues to put up with Tully. I spent just about the whole book feeling intensely connected to Kate and completely unsympathetic to Tully, who seems willing to sacrifice any and all relationships in order to advance her career. Without revealing precisely how the story unfolds, there are at least two points in the novel where I absolutely would have dropped Tully from my life and never spoken to her again—but Kate relents and refuses to hold a grudge. I understood the instinct, and Kate’s insecurities about being second-best certainly resonate with me. I felt a keen sort of pain for her, constantly wondering about how loved she was even within her own family and her own marriage. I wish that she had chosen a slightly different path, one that allowed her to step out from Tully’s shadow a little more.

But this story is almost as much about motherhood as it is about friendships. Tully’s mom has to be among the worst mothers I’ve seen in my reading, openly rejecting any responsibility for or desire to spend time with her daughter. It’s easy to see how this sets Tully on a very particular trajectory for her life, desperate for affection anywhere she can find it. Kate, on the other hand, has a queen of a mother, who never stops trying to connect with her daughter, no matter how many fights the teenager initiates. She has an open heart, able to love both Tully and Kate like daughters. Perhaps most importantly, she understands when her daughter has grown up and gives her the honest, loving adult advice that she needs without exerting control. I aspire to be a mother like Kate’s.

Firefly Lane does not look at lifelong friendship through rose-colored glasses, but it does, ultimately, make you wish for a companion who will stay by your side through anything. It’s an ode to just how important sisterhood can be.