Review: The Things We Do To Our Friends

The Things We Do To Our Friends by Heather Darwent

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

After reading the synopsis of The Things We Do to Our Friends by Heather Darwent, I imagined myself racing through the pages, heart pounding and on the edge of my seat. Unfortunately, though, I had the complete reverse experience, which was really disheartening.

The story follows the protagonist Clare as she leaves her grandmother's home in Hull to pursue a degree in history of art at the University of Edinburgh. Embarking on this new journey, Clare seizes the chance to reinvent herself. She quickly gets a job at a pub, befriends her boss Finn, and forms an unlikely bond with the magnetic Tabitha and her circle of friends that she finds intriguing, eager to assimilate with.

From the very start, the premise had me intrigued. The storyline revolves around friendship, treachery, and the extreme measures people would do to protect the people they hold dear. The idea was captivating, but the execution fell flat, as I soon discovered. There was a noticeable slowdown in the story's pace when I reached 30% of the book, and it unfortunately went on until about 80%. For several scenarios, I couldn't see why describe them for five pages when it could have been done in two paragraphs at most. It was annoying because it felt like I was wading through a swamp of redundant details.

I kept thinking that this book might have benefited substantially from further editing as I persevered through these slower parts. Reading the story became frustrating at times because of how long it went on. It's unfortunate because I was hoping to like it, but I found myself disengaging due to the tedious pace.

Although I could see potential in the characters, I never felt like I really connected with them. Claire lacked the depth I was expecting for and felt a bit one-dimensional. And there was nothing in the other characters to make me interested in them; they were apparently very wealthy and unrealistically well-connected, and that was pretty much it. Because I had trouble empathizing with their feelings and goals, the plot's unexpected turns felt hollow. I wanted to cheer for them, but I just couldn't get myself to care.

While there were some great passages, the lengthy descriptions and conversations generally took away from the narrative approach. The tale failed to captivate me; in fact, I found myself skimming through it in search of the more interesting bits, if any were even there.

Ultimately, I was let down by this book, despite its enticing concept. A difficult read due to pace problems and shallow characters. I get that a lot of work went into writing the story, but I thought it could have used a more comprehensive edit to make it more polished and intriguing.

Although I did not enjoy this book by Heather Darwent, I do hope that she keeps writing and develops as an author.

Content Warnings

Graphic - Murder, Toxic friendship, Violence

Moderate - Sexual assault, Suicide, Sexual harassment

Minor - Vomit, Alcoholism, Paedophilia

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