Friends Unlikely

Susan Smith Alvis
Amira Press (2007)
ISBN 9781934475126
Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (11/07)


Abbie Davis is a 16-year-old young woman growing up in Sevierville, TN.  Her father is an alcoholic.  Her mother is lost in her codependency to her father.  Abbie has four best friends whom she considers her real family.  They come from different racial and religious backgrounds, yet they seem to blend well together.  Juan is her best friend from third grade.  His cousin Carlos, also one of her friends, has developed a severe addiction to meth.  He appears to be in love with Davina.  Davina is a spoiled daughter of a doctor.  Abbie keeps her grounded and real.  These childhood friends invite Raj into their circle when he moves to the area.  They see themselves as misfits that somehow fit together.

When one of them develops a sickness after having his first sexual encounter with a promiscuous girl, they start to worry about him.  Coupled with that is Carlos’s addiction to meth.  At first, everyone thinks he is a pothead, but as his behavior worsens, they realize that he has deeper problems.  Both friends need help badly.  When Raj is diagnosed as HIV positive, their worlds are rocked.  He ends up in the hospital and after an intervention, Carlos ends up in rehab.

The second part of the story begins two years later.  Raj is declining in health and Carlos seems to have resumed his addictive behavior.  The friends all still stand by each other.  Secrets are revealed and painful consequences have to be dealt with.  As truths emerge, each person has to deal with the effects in their own way.  In addition to this, Abbie still has to deal with the pain of being a child of an alcoholic.  No matter what, the friends still stand by each other.

“Friends Unlikely” is a great story that is a must read for all teenagers.  It covers a variety of issues that teens will experience and need to be aware of.  These issues include:  addiction; consequences of unsafe sex; homosexuality; and the effects of being a child of an alcoholic parent.  Susan Smith Alvis handles these topics with sensitivity and understanding.  I feel that teens need to read this story, and reflect on the issues covered.  I think that it might help them gain a better understanding of themselves and think more carefully about the potential consequences of dangerous behavior.

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