The Magic of The Little Friend

In march of 2023 I read The Little Friend by Donna Tartt. It follows 11 year old Harriet throughout the summer as she explores her southern town in an attempt to fill her seemingly endless summer days by finding her brother Robin’s murderer. This novel explores power dynamics, what it means to be a family, and the power of friendship.

Tartt captures the reader using visceral imagery of the southern gothic. She depicts Harriets depth of emotion with an honestly, seriousness, and care I wish we could all see children with. Harriet has deep determination and no supervision. She traverses the seedy underground of her small southern town with her most loyal friend Hely - hoping to go unnoticed while following their only suspect a paranoid meth addict.

Most of the novel is seen through the eyes of an 11 year old - it feels both believable and unbelievable all at once which is the magic of the whole novel. 4/5 stars.