Love

Throughout Everything I Know About Love, the author thematically examines friendship through her relationship with Farly. At the outset of her memoir, Alderton describes her teenage belief that her friendship with Farly is based in their differences. She postulates that their relationship “will last forever” because they “will never fancy the same boy; [Farly] likes them short and cheeky like Nigel Harman and [Alderton] likes them macho and mysterious like Charlie Simpson from Busted” (2). As a teenager, Alderton holds platonic and romantic love as two separate entities. She believes that romantic pursuits are more important than friendships and that jealousy over boys is a valid reason to upend a platonic female relationship.

Later on in the text, Alderton’s friendship with Farly shifts when her best friend begins dating Scott. While she once believed that their differences strengthened their bond, Farly’s serious relationship with Scott makes her...