Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

Hello everybody! It’s time for another Top Ten Tuesday and this week’s theme is Platonic Relationships in Books which is a subject I really enjoy because I often think platonic relationships are a lot more interesting than romantic ones when it comes to reading. So here are ten of my favourites!

1. Harry and Hermione in Harry Potter by JK Rowling

Why:

I thought I’d start with one of my favourite friendships in the Harry Potter Series! I like Harry and Hermione’s friendship all the way through the books because she never abandons him and they always help each other when they can. What I really love about their relationship, however, is the fact that it never becomes a romantic one. I think it would have been really easy for JK Rowling to create a love triangle between the three main characters as so many other books have done and I always appreciated that Harry and Hermione’s friendship was purely platonic and no less important because of this.

2. Neville, Ginny and Luna in Harry Potter by JK Rowling

Why:

Another Harry Potter one! This is another friendship I enjoyed in the books because I thought that all three of these characters were really fantastic in their own ways. Neville is always overlooked and underestimated, Luna is wonderfully unique and unusual and Ginny is popular and fiery. Yet, they all seem to always support and look out for each other and even team up to lead the student resistance once Harry and co. are gone from Hogwarts! They are all just awesome people in my opinion!

3. JoJo and Kayla in Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward

Why:

This is a book I absolutely loved this year and part of the reason for that is the lovely relationship between JoJo and his little sister, Kayla. The book is pretty grim in it’s subject matter but the protective way that JoJo looks after his sister brings some needed joy to the story. Kayla is very young so the reader doesn’t really get her point of view but it is obvious from the way these two react to each other that their sibling bond is incredibly strong.

4. Mia and Pearl in Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

Why:

This is another book I enjoyed this year and I found all of the familial relationships and friendships in it interesting, but I particularly liked the relationship between Mia and her daughter, Pearl. They are shown to be very different in nature throughout the story but that doesn’t diminish their love for each other. The book is, in many ways, about the maternal bond and I felt that Mia and Pearl showed the best qualities of the relationship between a mother and her daughter.

5. Elena and Lila in The Neapolitan Novels by Elena Ferrante

Why:

I love this series of four novels that cover the lives of two girls from Naples and their relationship. It has recently been made into an HBO TV series and I really hope the adaption is faithful to the brilliance of the novels. The relationship between these two friends is full of nuance. They alternately love, despise, envy and protect each other and the author shows the full range of female friendship within her words. Neither of these characters are particularly likeable most of the time but I found myself still rooting for their friendship no matter what happened.

6. Dante and Colomba in Kill The Father and Kill The Angel by Sandrone Dazieri

Why:

I love a good detective duo and I think Dante and Colomba have to be one of my all time favourite pairings. They are both so complex and layered which makes their friendship constantly unpredictable. These books are fantastic thrillers and I cannot wait for the next instalment. I think the relationship between these two is what makes the books so great and whilst it may at some point become a romantic relationship, it hasn’t yet and I love their friendship.

7. Enzo and Denny in The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

Why:

This platonic relationship is between Enzo (a dog) and his owner (Denny). I have a dog myself so I totally understand the strength of the bond between a dog and it’s human family. This is such a beautiful and emotional book and is told completely from Enzo’s point of view which makes it so unique and frankly – awesome. Their friendship is so sweet and full of love, so it has to be on my list of favourite platonic relationships!

8. Anna and Kate in My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult

Why:

I was obsessed with Picoult’s books in my teenage years and this is the one that has most stuck with me. I actually find all of the familial relationships in this book really beautifully portrayed but my favourite is probably between the two sisters at the centre of the story. I won’t ruin it, incase you plan on reading it at some point, but I think the way the story progresses shows how strong and powerful the bond between sisters can be. P.S. The film is a terrible adaption so definitely read the book instead!

9. Dolphin, Star and Marigold in The Illustrated Mum by Jaqueline Wilson

Why:

I loved all of Jaqueline Wilson’s books as a child and The Illustrated Mum was one of my favourites. I can’t remember all the details but I do remember feeling so much for these two sisters, Dolphin and Star, and their mother, Marigold. There are a lot of issues at play in this story, the chief of which is mental illness which is such an important thing for children’s books to address. I really should go back and read it as an adult and see if I still find it as affecting.

10. Tyrion and Jaime in A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

Why:

There are loads of fascinating platonic relationships in Game of Thrones but one of the best, in my opinion, is the one between brothers, Tyrion and Jaime. I just think it shows how many shades of grey there are in this series because Jaime is exactly the type of arrogant man one would expect to join in the mockery of Tyrion but in fact they have an incredibly strong loyalty and affection for each other. I find their brotherly bond one of the high points in the books/tv series.

So that’s it for today! Those are my choices for the best platonic bookish relationships. I would love to know your thoughts on my choices and hear what yours would be so please do comment!

xxx