7 books about male friendship that actually feel real
A moving exploration of brotherhood, grief and healing, White Spaces by Elvin James Mensah is a reminder of the transformative power of male friendship.
Elvin joins us to share seven books that capture the complexity, tenderness, and enduring strength of the bonds between men.
"Sometimes we're more anchored in our friendships than in our familial relationships. And for some of us those friendships are a lifeline. So, naturally, I'm fascinated by various misconceptions about friendships: that they aren't as significant as romantic or familial relationships; that, sure, you can love your friends, but there's a limit. And worse yet, that there's something cold and hardened about male friendships especially, where vulnerability is treated as a burden.
In my new novel, White Spaces, we follow four Black British men who share twenty years of history, and whose friendship becomes each of their emotional anchors. Below are novels that beautifully explore the nuances of male friendship."
Elvin James Mensah, author of White Spaces
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
This novel has had its claws in me for literally ten years. Following four friends long after they meet and graduate from college, we witness their triumphs, failures, and deep, excruciating traumas. It might sound like an exaggeration to say there isn't a day that goes by where I don't think about Jude. But I don't care. I'm saying it.
Common Ground by Naomi Ishiguro
In Common Ground we meet Stan, who after his father's passing, is bullied and adrift. And Charlie, an older, gruff and confident teen. With special focus on discrimination in the traveller community, we follow this heart-achingly tender relationship way into their adulthoods.
Mayflies by Andrew O'Hagan
In the summer of 1986, James and Tully forge a friendship fuelled by their mutual love of music and film. But decades later, this friendship is tested when Tully receives a devastating diagnosis. I adore how the writing here is both intimate and cinematic. Absolutely stunning novel!
The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead
Wrongfully sent to a Jim Crow-era reform school, the optimistic Elwood bonds with the cynical Turner to survive horrific abuse. So unflinching and brutal yet told with such sparse and understated prose.
Glasgow Boys by Margaret McDonald
In Glasgow Boys, Finlay and Banjo grow up in care. We watch their difficult transition into adulthood, reckoning with deep emotional scars from their shared past. It's so tender, so raw, so good!
The Man I Think I Know by Mike Gayle
Ostensibly, The Man I Think I Know is about the unlikely friendship between two very different men, James and Danny. But the story is made even richer by a host of supporting characters and Mike Gayle's thoughtful balancing of sweet, joyful moments and heavy subject matters.
Small Joys by Elvin James Mensah
I'm sorry, I had to. I can't discuss male friendships without including my debut novel Small Joys. Harley, a depressed, university drop out, unable to see his place in the world, enters a life-saving friendship with Muddy, a bird-watching Mancunian with an inspiring lust for life.
About White Spaces by Elvin James Mensah
To the outside world, Teddy seems to have things sorted. A senior editor at a music magazine before turning 30, he's smart, practical and dependable: the one his friends turn to for support when things become complicated.
His old school friends Kain and Nathan have their fair share of issues. Kain is trying to get his music career back on track, while struggling to come to terms with his sexuality, and Nathan is still living with his parents, while working three jobs to help bring up his son.
For none of them, however, are things more complicated than they are for Birch. Wayward, unpredictable and impossible not to love, Birch veers impulsively from one calamity to the next but, whenever things get really bad, one person is always there to help him pick up the pieces.
But what if things were to get so bad that even Teddy couldn't fix them? And who would be there to fix Teddy if they did?
Set in the London of 2012 with a supporting cast of normal and extraordinary characters, White Spaces tells, with Mensah's inimitable warmth and humour, the story of four young Black men coming of age in a city on the cusp of change. It poses challenging questions about the way we were and the world we were creating, while always holding on to a powerful belief in the strength of love and friendship to overcome the worst that life can throw at us.
Hilarious, heartbreaking and hopeful, White Spaces is an unforgettable novel that cements Mensah's reputation as one of the most exciting young British novelists working today.
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