“Friend of My Youth” is constructed as a frame narrative—a story within a story, like a set of concentric circles. The framing story, or outer circle so to speak, concerns the relationship between the narrator and her mother. The main story, or inner circle, is the story of Flora and Ellie Grieves, Robert Deal, and Audrey Atkinson as recalled and told by the narrator’s mother to the narrator. To be more accurate: the narrator recalls the story as told to her by her mother at some point in the past, her mother at the time recalling the story from a still earlier past.
How would you describe the narrator’s relationship with her mother? And what does the narrator’s attitude toward the story of the Grieveses tell us about her attitude toward her mother?
On page 19, the narrator refers to The Maiden Lady. What, exactly, is this, and what does it tell us about the narrator’s relationship with her mother? (Focus especially on pages 19-22.)
Near the end of the story, the narrator imagines (dreams of?) an encounter with Flora. Why is this moment important? How does it affect our understanding of all that precedes it?
Keep in mind that my questions here, as elsewhere in these discussions, do not have definitive answers awaiting discovery. Such questions are meant to provoke thoughtful reflection about deeply ambiguous and even mysterious aspects of the stories we are studying. If you are struggling, that’s normal. I’ve read these stories many times, and still struggle! So do not be afraid to hazard an answer or two, even if you’re not at all certain.
©Robert Whalen, 2026