People in books never have friends

Murder novels do tend to have lots of friends - so detectives get invited to new locations and mysteries - like Jessica Fletcher.

Otherwise they have to be invited by police or be police or private investigators asked by someone close to situation and even then that person could be a mutual friend.

I find a lot of psychological suspense novels have friendships as an integral part of the plot - stories centred round parties or holidays where someone is murdered (or reuniting a group of people whose close friend was murdered in the past).

Jane Fallon writes female friendships really well & often prioritises them over romantic relationships. But they are usually there because they further the plot, not incidental.

They do sometimes but then the main character just wangs on about their own problems and the friend never really gets their own personality.

I've just read In a Dark, Dark Wood which I did enjoy, but the main character seems so (psychologically) scarred by an incident 10+ years ago that she still has no friends or partner. Which given that she's since been to uni, had jobs etc seems a bit strange...

I do agree that sound odd.

I suppose it's often easier in fantasy and sci-fi to isolate characters or groups. DH points out a large number of Star trek TV episodes are tech failing and a group becoming isolated from main group/ upper management and having to deal with situations.

In the novel I'm currently reading, In A Summer Season by Elizabeth Taylor, the main character Kate is still grieving the death of her best friend Dorothea. Kate's daughter has friends both at boarding school and at home. Kate's aunt is always corresponding with her best friend whom she met whilst in prison (they were both Suffragettes). There's a lot of friendships in this novel.

Not all of them. The Secret Seven all have parents, for example.

Just as so many children in literature don’t have parents- they would hamper the plot.

Jilly Cooper does friendships. I think it's one of the reasons people like her books. Of course they mostly shag each other at some point.

Nancy Mitford does friendships too though we might not recognise the relationships she presents as friendships IMO. Joss the groom is a friend to the young Radletts and Fanny. Cedric is allowed to be friends with all the female characters because he's gay. Linda and Lord Merlin have one of the nicest friendships in fiction IMO, helped along by his enormous wealth. Davey seems to be friends with literally everyone. Mrs Chaddesley-Corbett and Lady Montdore are friends, though it's more than a bit transactional.

Now trying to think of male authors who do friendships. Dickens? I'm pretty sure there are some but I'm not enough of a Dickens reader to know details. Kingsley Amis?

@JaninaDuszejko my DC would certainly agree that I wouldn't let them have exciting adventues DTS1 (9) is currently reading the Famous Five books and hoping to be able to go off camping etc on his own in a couple of years...!

@SmileyHappyPeopleInTheSun I've just read In a Dark, Dark Wood which I did enjoy, but the main character seems so (psychologically) scarred by an incident 10+ years ago that she still has no friends or partner. Which given that she's since been to uni, had jobs etc seems a bit strange...

But it's a trope in children's books that the first thing the author does is kill the parents. Or at least separate the children from them. Because children can't have adventures if their Mum is looking after them.

I see this with some books - often when there is some journey or point to them being isolated - secrets/ terrible past/inability to connect - and they pick up people on the way or work colleagues and their friends and family gradually come as friends but others books have group dynamics throughout.

Also read many where it is the sub characters from first book who gone on to star in subsequent books - regency romances do this a lot but seen it in other genre like sci-fi and fantasy or YA books.

Currently reading a series first book was about unwanted magic - and potential to lose existing friends and family and new friends whether they can be trusted is major plot point. Ones still alive are being alluded to in later books so think they will come back in later books and play a role.

Though I do agree with chit lit often having lots of very OTT toxic friendships.

"my favourite mistake" had far too many characters in it, she's made a rod for her own back with all the whole Walshe family but the whole of Maumtully plus everyone in New York was just too much, it was an exhausting read

Not yet but I’ll check them out now!

I noticed this about the JM Hall Pat, Liz and Thelma books - they are retired TAs who met at school and are firm friends (although on a separate note, they seem quite young to be retired!) - they're late 50s/ early 60s and yet never mention parents/ siblings, who presumably would still be part of their lives as they've all lived in the area all their lives! They do mention and speak to other friends as part of the plot device, but it's the family bit that perplexes me... I'd have thought it would be useful to include (for example) an elderly Mum within the storylines?

(I very much enjoy the books by the way, maybe I'm just nitpicking!)

@WeneedSamVimesonthecase I think we read pretty much the same books, judging by your list have you read the Stranger Times books too?

Currently reading Exiles by Jane Harper. The main character has friends.! The friends may end up being integral to the plot .

Also read Orpham X - main character is quite a loner but is still friends with a woman and her son in the apartment block.

Olive Kitteridge- is basically a marmite character, ppl either find her very difficult or like her. Her and Henry do have friends they go to dinner with and meet up with.

In contrast, children's books are often full of friends.

Hmm, what an interesting observation.

I have read all of the Seven Sisters and they barely know anyone outside of their sisters and 'significant others', though they make a handful of friends along the way.

Whereas my life involves loads of meeting up / messaging a whole range of different people (women mainly) that I've picked up along the way.

You need to read more genre fiction series.

Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum is friends with Lula and Connie and Mary Lou and sundry others, Sarah Paretsy's V I Warshawski has Lotty and Mr Contreras and Sal and Bobby, Donna Andrews' Meg Langslow has more friends that you can shake a stick at.

They also all have love interests and families and pets, and the complications of their lives come entwined with all of them.

edited: families so well represented I listed them twice

And yes to the point about Regency romances. But even then, think of Austen. All the ‘friend ’ characters are there for a reason.

In P and P, Charlotte Lucas is there to provide semi-comic plot resolution to one of Lizzy Bennet’s wrong’ matches, to get Lizzy into contact with Darcy again away from her family at Hunsden, and to show us what happens when a plain, sensible woman ages out of the marriage market and wants her own home, but can’t marry for love. Jane Bennet’s ‘friend’ Caroline Bingley is there to facilitate/frustrate the Bingley romance plot — she appears to have no others. Lydia’s friend Mrs Forster is there to provide the invitation to Brighton which facilitates the elopement. Kitty and Mary have no friends because there’s no plot need for them.

The Bingley/Darcy friendship never strikes me as a natural one (proud, snobbish Darcy hanging around with very new money, only one generation removed from trade), but, otherwise, a proud, standoffish man of enormous wealth and good family wouldn’t be hanging out at a small town Assembly hall), so it’s needed to introduce Lizzy and Darcy. Similarly, Colonel Fitzwilliam is needed to give Lizzy information about Darcy breaking up the Jane/Bingley romance that she couldn’t have got elsewhere, and maybe also to show us that here’s an aristocrat who is also attracted to Lizzy, but tells her lightheartedly that an Earl’s younger son can’t marry where he chooses, hence another match she’s not eligible for.

There’s a reason for all these people.

Yip, and on TV and film too. You can have family or you can have friends. You can't have both.

I always used to wonder about Sex and the City, how they didn't appear to have any family at all. None of them.

I used to get quite envious of the enduring and highly believable female friendships in some of the novels I read. Fay Weldon, Margaret Drabble and Maeve Binchy spring to mind. I'm not a huge fan of Marian Keyes's novels (though she comes across as someone I'd love to sit next to at a dinner party) but she writes female friendships well.

Yes I see this - you often wonder why they aren't asking their sister or friend for some advice about the job offer in the remote village with the handsome man