57 pages • 1 hour read
Emily HenryFunny Story
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2024A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Themes
Finding Home and a Sense of Belonging
People often associate the idea of home with a specific address or building. However, in Funny Story, Emily Henry develops the concept of home beyond physical spaces. Daphne moved to Waning Bay for Peter and lived in his home until their breakup. After he leaves her to be with Petra, Daphne must search for a new residence. However, her quest evolves beyond just looking for living space, and she begins examining what it means to create a home when she feels physically and emotionally adrift. With all its routine and quaint domesticity, Peter’s home represents what Daphne thought she wanted in life, but the end of their relationship shatters all her expectations. She realizes, “I’d thought we were building something permanent together. Now I realize I’d just been slotting myself into his life, leaving me without my own” (52). Now, she’s not only living in a home that’s not hers but a life she never wanted. At the novel’s start, Daphne is looking for a place to call home, literally and emotionally. Haunted by her past and a broken romance, she strives to find a feeling of belonging in the present. As the novel progresses, Daphne’s search for home and belonging becomes interwoven with her interactions with other characters, notably Miles and Ashleigh. Daphne sees Waning Bay in a new light due to her relationship with Miles, recognizing its beauty and charm while feeling a sense of belonging within its community. Similarly, her friendship with Ashleigh gives her a sense of support and camaraderie, so she feels less alone and more connected to those around her.
Miles’s apartment is small, cramped, cluttered, and sometimes faintly reeks of weed, but it becomes Daphne’s temporary residence when she has no other options. Symbolically, she stuffs all her belongings, including her wedding gown and wedding gifts, into a small closet, representing the way she has packed away her familial experiences of heartbreak and trauma. Daphne explains how her transient childhood still affects her now: “Life, I’d learned, is a revolving door. Most things that come into it only stay awhile” (17). Using a whiteboard, she keeps a regimented schedule and forces Miles to adhere to it. Like the overstuffed closet, the schedule represents another part of Daphne’s past she can’t let go. Gradually, Daphne feels more comfortable in Miles’s apartment as he invites her into his space and life. She becomes more accustomed to his fluid schedule and spontaneity, allowing herself to release her tight-fisted control over life and embrace some adventure. Daphne begins to identify the apartment as home by sharing meals, watching movies, and just doing life with Miles. Once Julia moves in, Daphne feels like she is living in a little family, a cozy feeling that brings her joy. She spots a quaint cottage for sale and fantasizes about making it a home. Residing with Miles helps Daphne define what home means, but her interactions with the community solidify Daphne’s place in Waning Bay.
Through her work at the library and Miles’s help meeting new people, Daphne gains a sense of belonging, which satisfies her need for social connection and helps her feel like a valued community member. Ultimately, Daphne learns that home isn’t just a physical place but can be found in a community or a group of people. Finding a place of belonging in Waning Bay provides her with a foundation of support, acceptance, and connection essential for her emotional and psychological growth. Feeling like she belongs somewhere gives Daphne a greater sense of self-worth and a stronger belief in her ability to create a life outside the bonds of a romantic relationship. Though the story ends in a full-circle moment where Daphne is once again sharing a home with her partner, this time, her identity isn’t rooted in a building but, instead, in herself.
Embracing Second Chances
Whether in love or life, the idea of being given another opportunity to right past wrongs, pursue missed opportunities, or start anew is a powerful human desire. Funny Story explores embracing second chances in love and life, examining how the willingness to forgive, learn, and grow can lead to personal fulfillment and a deeper understanding of oneself and others. Daphne’s failed relationship and broken dreams begin as stumbling blocks to her happiness. Still, they become steppingstones toward growth through radical self-forgiveness and a willingness to confront her past mistakes. Through her experiences, Daphne learns to forgive herself and embrace her imperfections. Life is a series of opportunities, and Daphne’s life transforms when she stops seeing her life in Waning Bay as the story of her and Peter’s ending and instead embraces it as an opportunity for a chance to rewrite her story.
Humans are fallible, and loving relationships thrive on second chances, as partners must be willing to forgive past hurts and rebuild trust when people make mistakes. Miles’s compassion and sensitivity help Daphne heal emotionally from Peter’s betrayal, but she is reluctant to put her heart on the line again. Their romance shows how love may blossom again after heartbreak and that relationships are imperfect and require patience, empathy, and forgiveness. Referring to their breakups, Miles says, “[W]e’re more than just what happened in April” (127). Second chances in love aren’t just about getting a do-over but embracing the opportunity to become the best version of oneself. Miles and Daphne must forgive themselves for past relationship failures and embrace the opportunity to begin something new together. Friendships thrive on second chances, too. Daphne yearns for reconciliation with Sadie, and when she missteps with Ashleigh, she fears she has damaged their fragile new friendship. She and Ashleigh begin again with a foundation of trust and proper expectations. By reaching out to Sadie and taking the first step, Daphne shows Sadie how much her friendship means to her. Relationships are never perfect, and Daphne’s experience reveals that sometimes, one must be willing to reconnect through rebuilding and repairing.
For Daphne, embracing second chances becomes a journey to self-empowerment, and she evolves from a cynic to an optimist, believing that she deserves a better future. Daphne begins to feel herself transforming into a new person, but she must first shed her old skin. The first step is cleaning out the dreaded wedding closet, but she doesn’t have to go through it alone as Julia and Ashleigh “bear witness to the death of this dream” (231). After processing the pain of crushed expectations, a new Daphne emerges. She feels it when she comes up out of the water in the lake: “It does feel like a rebirth. People can change, I think. I’m changing” (266). Daphne thought her story had been written, and she had settled for a life marked by heartbreak and abandonment. Her willingness to step into uncertainty, hopeful that life has more to offer than pain and regret, gives Daphne a second chance to welcome the unexpected joy that might be on the other side. In the end, as she surveys her home, family, and friends, she declares, “[S]ometimes the unexpected is better than what you plan” (363).
Risking Vulnerability to Build Relationships
Building meaningful connections takes a willingness to be vulnerable. Allowing oneself to be open and honest with others leads to greater connection and intimacy. However, vulnerability can be intimidating since it compels people to face rejection, hurt, and disappointment. Through her characters in Funny Story, Emily Henry explores the tension between running from the anxiety of vulnerability in relationship development and embracing its benefits, such as increased understanding, empathy, and intimacy. Protagonist Daphne grapples with the fear of vulnerability stemming from past heartbreaks and disappointments. She explains her fear: “Like every time I dole out a kernel of my history to someone who’s not going to become a fixture in my life, a piece of me gets carried away, somewhere I can never get it back” (64). However, as the story unfolds, Daphne learns that genuine connection and intimacy require opening herself to the possibility of being hurt and to the potential for profound love and connection. The scars from her past relationship don’t vanish, but they become part of her resilience as she learns to love with eyes wide open toward hope instead of wincing in fear, bracing for the impact of heartbreak.
As Daphne learns from Ashleigh, risking vulnerability goes beyond romantic relationships. Ashleigh provides Daphne with encouragement and frank honesty but requires the same from Daphne in return. Through her friendship with Ashleigh, Daphne discovers that true intimacy necessitates trust built from a desire to be open and vulnerable with others. It fosters authenticity in their encounters once Daphne finds the courage to express her honest thoughts and feelings, including her insecurities and weaknesses. She explains, “If I’m a closed book, bound in chains and kept under a padlock, Ashleigh Rahimi might’ve said the one thing that could function as the key” (66). By opening herself in this way, Daphne makes room for genuine connection and understanding, generating a sense of closeness and intimacy necessary for developing strong relationships in all areas of her life. Daphne’s growing connection to Ashleigh attracts more friendships, widening her circle of connection. Forming meaningful connections involves not only vulnerability but also empathy and a willingness to share emotional experiences, which create a foundation for deeper trust and understanding. As Ashleigh shares honestly about her divorce, Daphne empathizes with her new friend’s life as a single mother: “[I]t also takes a kind of fearlessness to invite someone into your space and ask to be invited into theirs” (267). Being invited into someone else’s pain can open the possibility of being hurt or disappointed. Still, such openness enables a person to feel the deep connection that comes from fully understanding and supporting people.
By far, Miles is the most significant emotional risk for Daphne. Having been disappointed by love, Daphne retreats into a protective shell. Miles carries relational baggage as well because he believes he failed to protect Julia from their emotionally abusive parents. Daphne and Miles grapple with conflicting emotions and insecurities as their connection grows, and they’re unsure whether to trust their hearts or listen to their heads. As they navigate their feelings for one another, they confront their fears of vulnerability and rejection, ultimately learning the necessity of self-acceptance in relationship development. Daphne realizes that opening her heart once more to love and connection can be a bridge to healing from her past. Miles forgives himself for his perceived failures, and Daphne confronts her fears and insecurities stemming from her father’s neglect. She earnestly voices her desires for boundaries, creating a foundation of trust and respect in her relationship with Miles. Through these relationships, Daphne learns that vulnerability is not a weakness but a strength that allows for deeper, more meaningful connections.
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