THE MYTH OF YOU AND ME by Leah Stewart

I am always drawn to books about friendship, especially those formed during our formative years. Often, however, I find these books ultimately disappointing in how they explore the development and — usually — the demise of these relationships. Either their complexity isn’t adequately acknowledged, or the retelling of the story of the friendship, often through flashbacks, winds up too hazy or nebulous to convey what actually happened. A recent example is The Evolution of Jane by Cathleen Schine. It’s about a 25-year old woman who unexpectedly comes across her childhood best friend, from whom she had become estranged. In the end, I found the story of their friendship unfulfilling and entirely forgettable – I can’t even remember what actually drove them apart or how they re-connected.

So, in my never-ending quest to find satisfying books about friendship, I came across The Myth of You and Me, by Leah Stewart. I can’t find many reviews of this book, which came out a year ago and is about “the complicated heart of friendship,” according to Amazon. Reader reviews are pretty good – most are 4 or 5 stars, but I can’t tell if this is chick lit or actually a good book. The author’s website, which allows readers to post their own stories about “best friend break-ups, make-ups, and everything in between,” suggests that we might be veering dangerously into Oprah territory, but I am willing to give this book another look.