Coming of Age

Circle of Friends is first and foremost a coming-of-age novel in which the main characters grow into young adulthood. We have an opportunity to see the most significant changes in Eve and Benny since they are first introduced as 10-year-old girls. After just one chapter the story jumps forward several years to when they are about 18. Although the reader follows the lives of Jack, Nan, and the other characters for only a few months, all of them undergo significant changes as the story progresses.

The book's characters undergo change as a result of the new experiences they encounter. The lives of Benny and Eve alter significantly when they enter college because, unlike the other students they meet, they come from a small village and are exposed to city life in Dublin for the first time. After growing up among a small number of often-quirly...