Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah

I haven't been blogging for a little while because I found a job this summer! I'm working at my local Sweetgreen, a fast-food salad chain during the afternoons and late nights. Fortunately, despite the late hours (I sometimes don't get home until past 10:30 PM), I've still found some time to read. I just finished Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah. Hannah is one of my favorite modern-day writers and I've read other works by her including The Great Alone and The Nightingale. While Firefly Lane certainly had a very different feel to it compared to the other two books, it was a delight to read.

Firefly Lane tells the story of a 30-year friendship between two girls, Tully and Kate, beginning in middle school. The entirety of the book essentially shares their life story growing up together, getting their first jobs, and their lives during adulthood. These two girls at times are complete opposites but part of what makes the story so lively is how Hannah melds together these two polarizing characters. While Tully's mother is an alcoholic and drug addict, Kate grew up in a typical nuclear family. While Tully has always dreamed of being a news reporter, Kate seeks a more humble life as an at-home mom. While Tully is always the lion in the jungle, Kate seeks pleasure through laughter, love, and family. Despite certain parts of the story rearing off into unrealistic realms, overall, I loved how Hannah played with character development. And given that the entire storyline is dedicated to unveiling a friendship, I would say Hannah quite successfully executes evoking emotion and empathy from the reader towards each character. I particularly related to moments in Tully's narrative. As a career-first work-a-holic who struggles with loneliness, I thought Hannah's descriptions of Tully's emotions, expressions, and thought processes were true to the bone. 

Another naturally intriguing facet of Firefly Lane is the fact that it tells of a friendship that spans three decades, beginning in the seventies. I thought Hannah effectively illustrates "the changing times" of each decade by describing the trendy songs, clothing, and artists of the time. She transports the reader to a time not long ago but recent enough to relate to.

Firefly Lane has a simple plot and the events that occur throughout the story are almost mundane at times, particularly when Hannah describes Kate's life as an at-home mom or Tully's life after work. The quotidian nature of the story allows readers to connect to the life experiences of Tully and Kate, who in turn show us the values and principles that we should hold true to ourselves no matter what direction life takes us. Despite their lives taking different turns after college, both remain grounded in the fundamental idea of love. While Kate finds love through her family, Tully discovers that love can be for something like her career as a news anchor. Firefly Lane is about feeling, about touching the core of what makes us human.