Janet Fox's YA debut, FAITHFUL, is a coming-of-age period novel that follows 16-year-old Maggie as she struggles to find her footing amidst physical and emotional upheaval. Today, Janet joins us to shed some light on one of the many disjointed aspects of her main character's life --- the tumultuous relationship she shares with her best friend, Kitty.
While I was writing FAITHFUL, in one of my early drafts the character of Kitty popped in demanding attention. She was obnoxious from the start. Where did this annoying girl come from and why, from the moment I began writing her, was she trying to mess up Maggie’s life?
I’ll return to these questions in a minute, but I’d like to start by having a look at Kitty’s behavior.
Kitty pretends to be Maggie’s friend, but she tries to snake Maggie’s boyfriend the minute Maggie leaves town. Kitty disses Maggie’s mother and suggests that Mrs. Bennet deliberately set out to ruin Maggie’s life. Kitty is a snob; she’s pretty and she knows it; she strives to climb to the top of the social Newport food chain no matter whose body she steps on. In a moment of high drama for Maggie, the best Kitty can offer is to send Maggie a stylish new hat. She’s the kind of girl you love to hate.
But she’s also Maggie’s best friend.
Or at least she was Maggie’s best friend when they were younger. In the context of the novel, these two girls have moved far apart. When the action begins and they are both 16, Maggie and Kitty have become “frenemies.”
So, back to my original questions. First, where did Kitty come from? From deep inside me, that’s for sure. I’ve known girls like Kitty; I’ve had friends like Kitty. I’ve had friends I loved and trusted who (yes) snaked my boyfriend the minute my back was turned. Friends who were friends one minute and who laughed at me with the “other crowd” the next. I’ve known girls who thought that being popular was more important than being true and kind.
Friendship is complex, especially when we’re young. Each of us is trying to discover who we are and what we value. We are learning, and stumbling, and we all make mistakes along the way. Both Maggie and Kitty are learning and making mistakes, and their friendship of many years is complex and layered. Maggie forgives Kitty for her self-centered behaviors, and this speaks well of Maggie.
The fact is that I feel more sorry for Kitty than I do for Maggie. During the course of the novel Maggie learns and grows. She becomes a young woman who speaks her mind and copes with great loss. She discovers her own buried prejudices and faces them head-on. Kitty, on the other hand, at least in the context of FAITHFUL, faces nothing and does not change. Kitty is really motivated by jealousy --- she knows, at some level, that Maggie is a stronger person than she is, and that makes her jealous. Will Kitty ever realize that being true to yourself is more important than being of the right social tier? Will she understand that even the smallest cruelties reflect only upon their maker?
I can’t answer these questions, at least not at the moment. FAITHFUL isn’t Kitty’s novel. Maybe she has a story of her own to tell --- a moment of change in her own life that will propel her into revelation and growth. In the meantime, poor Kitty is stuck in this novel as Maggie’s frenemy. Not a great place to be, but, hey --- someday, with any luck, Kitty will discover what it means to have and to be a true friend.
-- Janet Fox
