The Little Friend, by Donna Tartt
This was suggested to be by a friend, whom I met while she was sitting on a dock reading the last pages of The Secret History, by the same author. One wouldn't believe it, but The Secret History was her debut novel! (I'm reading it now and will write about that one shortly).The Little Friend introduced me to my favorite character in a long time. I rarely have favorite characters. 'Favorite' can mean any number of things. I admire some characters, I laugh at others, I think they're daring, brave, fun, etc. But I think that of all characters, I'll remember Harriet Cleve Dufresnes. When I read Drowning Ruth, I had similar feelings for the child in that book (whose name I can't remember. Ruby, maybe?). But Harriet is a ball of DNA walking around, reminding me of all the things I did when I was a kid. From how she wrote her letters, to what books she read, to how she rode her bike, ran from things, ran to things, looked at people, reacted to people, wore her clothes. She's a heroine without doing things unexpectedly extraordinary that no twelve-year-old would possibly do. The fact that she hangs back despite her extravagance makes me smile.
I admit, I was disappointed with how it ended but only because I was petulant and wanted an answer to one of the bigger questions in the story, but I can overlook that after about a week because this was a GREAT STORY.
I get so much pleasure from that. A story. It doesn't follow a certain formula; it just keeps moving on, telling us more about Harriet, her sister Allison (also an interesting girl), and her friend Hely. All her aunts, her grandmother, her mother and some other kids in town who are getting "in it" way over their heads. Great read. Thanks, Alice!
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