As fun as it is to read a good thriller or a romance book, nothing beats the comfort that comes from reading books about friendship. While you may be aware of many books centered around romantic love, did you know there are equally good (or even better) friendship books that celebrate the special bond that friends share? Yep, a lot of books have friendship as the core theme, and they make for interesting reads. If this is a genre you wish to explore, do check out our list of friendship books that are absolutely worth your time.
Friendship Books
- A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
- Cat’s Eye by Margaret Atwood
- Text Me When You Get Home by Kayleen Shaefer
- Marley & Me by John Grogan
- The Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares
- Swing Time by Zadie Smith
- The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer
- Harry Potter Series by J.K Rowling
- Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom
- Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
- Sula by Toni Morrison
- Big Friendship: How We Keep Each Other Close By Aminatou Sow And Ann Friedman
- Lobster Is The Best Medicine: A Collection Of Comics About Friendship By Liz Climo
- The Boy In The Striped Pajamas by John Boyne
- Truth & Beauty by Ann Patchett
Reading books about friendship is not only comforting, it also makes you realize and appreciate the value of friends in your life. Without further ado, here’s a list of the best friendship books that you must read!
Also Read: Friendship day captions
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
Written by Khaled Hosseini, A Thousand Splendid Suns is a bestseller that revolves around two women named Mariam and Laila who share an unlikely bond among numerous hardships, and seek solace in one another amidst the horrible circumstances surrounding them and the difficult situations they are faced with. It is a riveting book about friendship and hope that will keep you hooked right until the last page.
Cat’s Eye by Margaret Atwood
This book will especially resonate with those who have dealt with mean girls as a kid! It revolves around an artist Elaine Risley who reflects on her childhood friendships. Elaine, who spent a life of constant travel, becomes friends with Carol and Grace at the age of 8. However, after spending a summer away, Elaine returns home to her friends only to find out that the dynamic of her group has drastically changed with the addition of a new girl named Cordelia. Unlike most friendship books, Cat’s Eye by Margaret Atwood isn’t all happy and gets a bit dark. But it’s absolutely worth reading!
Text Me When You Get Home by Kayleen Shaefer
This is one of the best books about friendship that explores the evolution of modern female friendships. Through interviews with over 100 women about their female friendships and how they have impacted their lives, Kayleen Shaefer’s book sheds light on the fact that these friendships are making women stronger than ever! This is a must-read book for women that will make you reflect on how your own friendships with women have evolved over the years.
Marley & Me by John Grogan
We often forget that our pets are our best companions too! This list of books about friendship wouldn’t be complete without a story revolving around man’s best friend. Marley & Me is an autobiographical book by John Grogan, and is a heart-warming story that portrays the author’s life during the 13 years that he and his family lived with their dog Marley, and the lessons that he learned during this period.
The Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares
This is one of the best books for teens that has also been adapted into a movie! It follows the adventures of four best friends who come across a pair of old jeans that fits them all perfectly, despite their different sizes. The girls then share this pair of jeans or ‘traveling pants’ during the summer while they are separated. Their summer ends up being a rollercoaster ride of ups-and-downs, but becomes one of the most memorable times of their lives. This book about friendship is absolutely worth your time!
Swing Time by Zadie Smith
Swing Time captures a beautiful friendship between the narrator of the story and her friend Tracy. Apart from being students at a tap dance class in London, they also share a common ethnic identity of being mixed-race. While Tracy is a prodigious dancing talent, the narrator pales in comparison. Follow their topsy-turvy journey set in three different cities that also serves as an insightful social commentary on race, class, and gender.
The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer
The Interestings is one of those friendship books you just won’t be able to put down once you start! Six teenagers become friends when they spend time together at a camp, designed to help them explore their creativity. All of them are reunited decades later, some of them are successful, while some others are still struggling. This book beautifully explores the nature of envy, the roles of money, power, and class, and how all of these can change abruptly.
Harry Potter Series by J.K Rowling
While Harry Potter isn’t specifically a book about friendship, it is definitely a huge theme in the series. It follows the story of Harry, who learns about his magical abilities, and with the help of his friends Ron and Hermione, tries to thwart the forces of evil in the wizarding world. The author covers themes of friendship, love, and family throughout the series, and it’s amazing to see Harry, Ron, and Hermione’s friendship develop throughout the series. Not only will these books transport you to a magical world, they’ll also make you believe in the power of true friendship.
Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom
This heart-warming memoir by Mitch Albom revolves around a series of visits that the author made to his former college professor and mentor Morrie Shwartz. They reconnect in the last months of Morrie’s life, knowing that the professor was dying of ALS. The author and Morrie spend every Tuesday sitting together and talking, and it turns into one final class- lessons on how to live. This book about friendship is filled with so many emotions, and is definitely worth a read!
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
Are you someone who is hesitant to make friends? Then you’ve gotta read this book about friendship, written by Gail Honeyman. The story revolves around Eleanor Oliphant, a social misfit with a traumatic past, who leads a solitary lifestyle. However, things change when she meets Raymond, who joins her office as a new colleague. As Raymond draws her out of her shell, their bond grows, and Eleanor begins to deal with the trauma of her past. This book beautifully covers themes such as loneliness, kindness, friendship, and trauma recovery.
Sula by Toni Morrison
Sula is a tale of two eternal friends- Sula and Nel and the dynamics of their relationship from childhood to death. Their friendship begins in Medallion, Ohio, the midwest of America that was plagued by rampant racism. Sula and Nel both belonged to the local black community and had their hopes and dreams for prosperity crushed by a system that fought against them. Their mutual struggles and experiences wrapped up in a wholesome friendship story, makes this book about friendship an intriguing read!
Big Friendship: How We Keep Each Other Close By Aminatou Sow And Ann Friedman
We all have that one person in our lives that we are lucky to call our BFF. A beautiful relationship that has stood the test of time and is often the most underappreciated relationship we have. This friendship book by two close friends Aminatou and Ann makes a compelling case for ‘Big Friendships’ and its importance through personal testimonies of their bond! This book is honest, hilarious, and makes for a really fun read.
Lobster Is The Best Medicine: A Collection Of Comics About Friendship By Liz Climo
Liz Climo is undoubtedly one of the best cartoonists out there, and her charmingly quirky animal comics about friendship are sure to make you smile! Lobster Is The Best Medicine is not specifically a book about friendship, but a collection of comics about friendship by Liz Climo that will win you over with their simplicity, wit, and humour. It is all the reminder you need to appreciate your own special friendships!
The Boy In The Striped Pajamas by John Boyne
This Holocaust novel portrays the unlikely friendship between two young boys- Bruno, the son of a Nazi commandant, and Shmuel, a Jewish prisoner at Auschwitz. It delivers a simple yet hard-hitting message- “Lines may divide us, but hope will unite us.” 9-year-old Bruno, oblivious to the Holocaust brutality, makes the daily trek to the wire fence to meet Shmuel, and they form an incredible friendship. This book gradually reveals the cruelty and savagery laid upon the Jews by the Nazis through the little boy’s lens. It’s an emotional read, and will stay etched in your mind long after you’ve read the book.
Truth & Beauty by Ann Patchett
Truth & Beauty is one the most powerful, hard-hitting books about friendship you will ever read. A book about the wonderful friendship that the author, Ann Patchett, shared with Lucy Grealy until the latter’s demise 20 years after they became friends. This book is a tell-all about their commitment to each other through the good times and bad, and life after being the one that got left behind.
What are you waiting for? Bookmark these friendship books right away!
Also Read
Friendship Memes: Here are some of the best memes that celebrate the relationship and the bond that we all have with our best friends!
Featured Image: Goodreads, Amazon
