‘Funny Story’ Author Emily Henry Breaks Down New Romance Novel, ‘Very Discreet’ Easter Eggs for Previous Books and ‘Scary’ Feelings About What She’s Writing Next
variety.comJennifer Maas TV Business Writer SPOILER ALERT: This article contains spoilers for Emily Henry‘s new romance novel, “Funny Story,” released April 23. “Happy Place” and “Book Lovers” author Emily Henry’s latest book “Funny Story” starts with its two leads, Daphne and Miles, sharing one very humorless tale: being left by their respective partners, Peter and Petra, a pair of childhood best friends who have realized their love for each other.
And then Daphne gets kicked out of her house and has to move in with Miles, so Petra can move in with Peter. Despite the double-heartbreak setup, Henry uses her rom-com writing chops to bring these two jilted lovers into their own love story, with Daphne and Miles blurring the lines of their new roommate dynamic when they start pretending to be a couple to get back at their exes. “It was kind of a similar situation as when I was coming up with ‘Happy Place,’ where I had this premise that I could just see the humor in.
But then of course, I’m me, so I sit down to write it and I’m like, ‘Oh, no, these people are heartbroken. How am I supposed to make this funny?'” Henry told Variety. “But with this one, I felt like it was much easier because Daphne’s character writes people off somewhat quickly; she has learned hard lessons in her past and she has sort of a list of criteria for deciding if someone is going to have access to her energy and her time.
Even though she’s heartbroken, there’s also a lot of anger and there’s a righteous indignation there. Rather than just grieving the relationship, there’s also this piece of her that’s like, ‘Well, what a shithead?’ I think the anger had a lot more opportunity for humor in it for me.
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