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Healthy friendships are built on mutual love and respect, with both friends supporting each other and caring for each other and cheering each other on. But Young Fools by Liza Palmer follows a friendship that turns out to be one-sided, built on competition and jealousy.
The story begins as 24-year-old Helen Hicks arrives at the Hayward Writing Intensive, determined to make her dreams of becoming a celebrated author come true. There she meets Cherry Stewart, a free-spirited, uneducated 20-year-old, whose path looks nothing like Helen’s—but, during that week, they become close friends. As the years pass, Helen struggles to write her first novel, but she feels encouraged by the fact that Cherry hasn’t been able to write hers, either—until she discovers that Cherry has written and sold her first novel in secret.
Young Fools follows these two women’s lives for 30 years, checking in with them once every decade, as their relationship and their careers change. It tells a realistic and often difficult story about two characters who are complete opposites. While Helen is serious and introverted, set on being one of the literary greats, Cherry is energetic and outgoing and playful—someone who’s just passionate about telling stories. It’s definitely an unlikely friendship—and, with so many red flags popping up from the start, readers won’t be surprised that things don’t go smoothly for them.
Much of the story is told from Helen’s point of view—and, from the beginning, she’s a difficult character to like. Though she’s clearly struggled with her parents’ expectations, the expectations of the academic and literary communities, and even her own expectations, her insecurities make her judgmental and competitive and sometimes downright mean. So much of her behavior will make readers cringe—and, admittedly, that can make for a challenging read.
At the same time, the author’s storytelling choices can make the novel somewhat frustrating—especially after a twist in the middle, after readers think they’ve gotten to know the characters, puts everything into question, causing readers to wonder what’s true for these characters and what isn’t. Though it gives a little more insight into the toxicity of their friendship, it may leave readers feeling tricked.
So much about Young Fools is painfully honest—and the fact that readers may notice things about their relationships, their friends, and even themselves in its pages can make it a challenging read. But the story’s twist also makes it feel inauthentic and maybe even unreliable in the end.
Listen to the review on Shelf Discovery:
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