Emily Henry's 'Funny Story' centers a new character in rom-com tropes

Summary

NPR's Book of the Day: Emily Henry's 'Funny Story' Centers a New Character in Rom-Com Tropes

Release Date: June 30, 2025

In the latest episode of NPR's Book of the Day, host Juana Summers delves into Emily Henry's acclaimed romance novel, Funny Story. Through an engaging conversation with the bestselling author, listeners gain insights into Henry's creative process, character development, and her unique take on traditional rom-com narratives.

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Introduction to Emily Henry and Her Popularity

The episode kicks off with Andrew Limbaugh highlighting Emily Henry's ubiquitous presence in bookstores, signaling her significant impact on the contemporary romance genre. His observation sets the stage for a deeper exploration of Henry's latest work.

Notable Quote:

"It seems like every time I've walked into a bookstore the past couple years... there's an Emily Henry book on the front table."
— Andrew Limbaugh [00:02]

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Overview of 'Funny Story'

Juana Summers introduces Funny Story by outlining its central premise. The novel follows Daphne Vincent, a children's librarian whose perfect life unravels when her fiancé, Peter, leaves her for his best friend, Petra. This unexpected turn forces Daphne to relocate and navigate the complexities of her new living arrangement with Miles, Petra's ex-boyfriend.

Notable Quote:

"Daphne's fiancé Peter breaks up with her for his childhood best friend and her plans are thrown into chaos."
— Juana Summers [01:15]

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Exploring Rom-Com Tropes with a Fresh Perspective

Emily Henry discusses her motivation behind crafting Funny Story, emphasizing her desire to center the narrative around a woman who has recently been dumped—a role often sidelined in romance novels. Henry aims to shine a spotlight on Daphne, making her the protagonist whose journey forms the heart of the story.

Notable Quote:

"What about the woman who just got dumped... I wanted to make her the star."
— Emily Henry [01:59]

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Character Development: Daphne and Miles

The conversation delves into the complexities of the main characters. Daphne embodies the fear of inadequacy within romantic relationships, a theme Henry finds relatable and pressing. Miles, on the other hand, is portrayed as a warm and emotionally available individual, challenging Daphne's need for control and order.

Notable Quotes:

"The feeling of not being enough is a real common fear for so many people... especially in romantic relationships."
— Emily Henry [02:16]

"He’s kind and he’s emotionally available and he’s present."
— Emily Henry [03:11]

Henry explains the delicate balance required to write characters who are inherently kind yet possess personal traumas that create realistic obstacles in their relationship.

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Writing Authentic Male Characters

Juana Summers highlights Henry's adeptness at creating nuanced male characters, particularly those who are introspective and have sought therapy. Henry expresses her passion for portraying men who are self-aware and actively work on their personal growth, believing it enriches their relationships.

Notable Quote:

"I'm passionate about men going to therapy... it can slow things down. It can make me a lot more nervous with Funny Story specifically."
— Emily Henry [04:14]

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Capturing Chemistry Through Dialogue

The chemistry between Daphne and Miles is a standout feature of Funny Story. Henry discusses her approach to writing their witty and engaging exchanges, emphasizing the importance of authentic dialogue that allows characters to "take over" during the writing process.

Notable Quote:

"The magic moment for any writer is when you feel those characters just take over."
— Emily Henry [05:15]

She acknowledges the challenges of ensuring that dialogue remains natural and true to each character's unique voice, ultimately achieving a dynamic interplay that drives the narrative forward.

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Depicting Vulnerability and Relatability in Love

Henry reflects on the universal experience of vulnerability in love, drawing parallels between writing romance and real-life relationships. She underscores the beauty and difficulty of exposing one's true self, advocating for stories that embrace this rawness to foster genuine intimacy.

Notable Quote:

"It's the most vulnerable thing a person can do... it's beautiful because it's the only thing that can ever lead to true intimacy."
— Emily Henry [06:12]

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Personal Philosophy on Love

Emily Henry shares insights into her personal views on love, influenced heavily by her parents' enduring marriage. She describes love as patient, kind, and resilient, highlighting the importance of growth and adaptability within long-term relationships.

Notable Quote:

"They can bicker with each other, but there's always an apology... their partnership is just so beautiful."
— Emily Henry [07:10]

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Balancing Reader Expectations with Creative Process

The discussion touches on Henry's evolving relationship with her readership. Previously aiming to separate her writing from reader expectations, Henry now embraces reader presence in her creative process, which she believes has enhanced her writing quality, despite introducing new pressures.

Notable Quote:

"I honestly think it's made me a better writer... I see it as my readers having given me this amazing gift."
— Emily Henry [08:19]

She candidly shares the challenges of writer's anxiety but remains committed to making her readers feel integral to her storytelling journey.

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Conclusion

The episode wraps up with a heartfelt exchange between Juana Summers and Emily Henry, celebrating the release of Funny Story and Henry's contributions to the romance genre. Listeners are left with a deeper appreciation for Henry's approach to storytelling and her dedication to portraying authentic, relatable characters.

Notable Quote:

"This really was a joy."
— Emily Henry [09:08]

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Emily Henry's Funny Story emerges as a fresh and heartfelt addition to modern romance literature, blending traditional rom-com elements with genuine character exploration and emotional depth. NPR's thoughtful examination provides both fans and new readers with a comprehensive understanding of what makes this novel resonate with so many.

Transcript

[Andrew Limbaugh]

Hey, it's NPR's Book of the Day. I'm Andrew Limbaugh. It seems like every time I've walked into a bookstore the past couple years, whether indie or big box, there's an Emily Henry book on the front table. The super popular romance writer joins us on the pod today. Her new book is titled Funny Story and it's about a love quadrangle. I guess NPR's Juana Summers will lay it out, but they get to talking about writing romance novels and Henry says this thing about how, yeah, sure, the romance genre is kind of embarrassing, but you know what else is? Falling in love. That's ahead.

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[Juana Summers]

Picture this. You have the dream job, a dream home, and are planning a dream wedding with the love of your life. And then said love of your life realizes they are in love with someone else. That is the exact nightmare scenario children's librarian Daphne Vincent finds herself in at the start of Emily Henry's new book, Funny Story. Daphne's fiance Peter breaks up with her for his childhood best friend and her plans are thrown into chaos. All this leads Daphne to move in with Miles, a guy who knows all too well what Daphne is going through. Since the childhood friend who ran off with Peter is Miles's now ex girlfriend, Petra. It's a premise that Henry wondered about after writing about a best friendship turn. More in a different novel.

[Emily Henry]

Every time I kind of investigate one kind of trope or storyline, I'm always curious like, ooh, what happens to, you know, the rest of the cast? What about the woman who just got dumped? She's not the star of this rom com and I wanted to make her the star.

[Juana Summers]

I asked Henry what shades of Daphne she saw in herself.

[Emily Henry]

That feeling of not being enough is a real common fear for so many people. And especially in romantic relationships. You know, you can just feel like there's just this whole world that you should be like providing to this person and you're aware of everyone else around you and how they interact with this person that means the world to you. And I think that that fear of, like, I'm not enough is just a really pressing thing that gets kind of triggered in romantic relationships especially.

[Juana Summers]

I now want to talk about Miles, who is just this kind, warm, comforting person. He's tattooed. He wears Crocs. I am cur. When you're writing romance books where a lot of the tension comes from the obstacles that come when it comes to getting two people together, how hard is it to write a character who is just so genuinely kind and warm?

[Emily Henry]

This is the exact battle that this whole book was to realize these two people really like each other and they're really connecting. And he's kind and he's emotionally available and he's present. And so I had to really dig deep into kind of their histories and their traumas and figure out which things about themselves would sort of trip each other up, if that makes sense. You know, I think when you meet someone and you really click, there's all these facets of your personality that just complement each other. And that's a really exciting feeling. But of course, there are always also going to be things that really grade against each other. And for Daphne, this person who has, you know, kind of built her life on needing to have this sense of control and order, it's a real challenge to start falling for someone who's sort of the total opposite of that.

[Juana Summers]

I spend more time than I should probably admit on the radio on TikTok, specifically BookTok and reading reviews and something that I watched or read somewhere suggested that you happen to be very good at writing male characters. Men who have gone to therapy and worked on themselves.

[Emily Henry]

Yes.

[Juana Summers]

How do you feel about that?

[Emily Henry]

I mean, I'm passionate about that. I'm passionate about men. Men going to therapy. I mean, I'm passionate about everyone going to therapy. But yeah, I mean, if you're a really introspective person and have really great friends and all of that, that can go a really long way. But, you know, if you want to have a sustained relationship that goes through all of these different phases of life and that really challenges all of your own hangups and triggers and all of that, I don't know. A lot of us need help. I need help. And I think it's always beneficial to a relationship to have an outside source you can lean on.

[Juana Summers]

One of the things that really stands out not just in this book but also in your other books is the fact that there is this quick witted, fun kind between characters. And it is certainly there all throughout with Daphne and Miles. Their voices, their chemistry, the intense attraction between them just jumps off the page. I. I guess. I wonder when you're writing, do you hear their voices in your head kind of having this, this back and forth or how do you capture that?

[Emily Henry]

Definitely. I mean, in the best case scenario, that is what's happening. And I'll admit that sometimes the earlier drafts are not that. And it's just sort of writing filler dialogue and cranking out beats to a specific plot that I've decided. I think the magic moment for any writer is when you feel those characters just take over. And I feel like I was really lucky with this one that while there were a lot of challenges, the dialogue was really there from the beginning. The dynamic was there. I understood that he was sort of the softer, sunnier one and she was a little bit sharper edged. And I just loved the feeling of bouncing between their voices.

[Juana Summers]

I think one of the things that is so fun, whether it's in a book or in real life about being in love, is that it's. You lose yourself in it. You have those little cringe worthy moments where you smack yourself in the head and you're like, oh my gosh, I cannot believe I am saying this right now. How do you think about writing those kinds of scenes that feel almost unbelievable, but yet they're so relatable for us?

[Emily Henry]

I do think that writing romance and reading romance and falling in love all feel very similar for that exact reason. It's this kind of embarrassing giddy freefall. And if you're, you know, it's so easy to judge yourself, to have this sort of out of body experience where you're replaying every conversation and smacking yourself on the head and feeling humiliated. But that's also the joy of it. It's like just the most vulnerable thing a person can do. And as hard as vulnerability is, I think it's beautiful because it's the only thing that can ever lead to true intimacy and to truly being known. And so, you know, I think it's good for us. I think it's good for us to engage with stories like this where we kind of see raw vulnerability on display. And the cringe that you're talking about, it's like you kind of have to learn to roll with those punches and enjoy it. And later, you know, like in real life, when you have those things happen later, it is a funny story.

[Juana Summers]

I'm also curious about your personal philosophy on love. Where does that come From.

[Emily Henry]

I mean, I. I got very lucky with my parents, I would say. They have been married since they were 17 and 19. They're in their late 60s now. So from the very beginning of my life, I had this view of what love was. And it was, you know, patient and kind. And they can bicker with each other, but there's always an apology. Like, there's just no pride in themselves. There's no ego getting in the way. And their partnership is just so beautiful. And, you know, I've gotten to now watch it grow and change for over 30 years. And it's just such a special thing to see two people who really got to grow up together and go through all these different seasons of life and be a witness to the other's experience.

[Juana Summers]

It's an incredible story. There was something that I read on your substack a few weeks back, and it was about how you think about the reader as you write your books. You wrote that traditionally, authors try to forget about their readers when they're writing. And you said that recently. We've been a little bit more present in your mind. What has that done to your writing process?

[Emily Henry]

I honestly think it's made me a better writer. I think, you know, it can slow things down. It can make me a lot more nervous with. With Funny Stories specifically. I remember telling my editor that I spent the whole editing process telling myself, you've done this before. You can do it again. There's no need to worry. It all works itself out in the end. And then the last couple of months were just sheer panic. And so we decided, next time we're going to panic a little bit throughout instead of at the end. But I do feel this, you know, this pressure and this responsibility because I see it as my readers having given me this amazing gift in being able to do the work that really means the world to me. And I want to show that I appreciate that. I want them to feel like they are part of the journey.

[Juana Summers]

That is author Emily Henry. Her new book, Funny Story, is out now. Emily, thank you so much.

[Emily Henry]

Thank you so much. This really was a joy.

[Juana Summers]

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[Emily Henry]

On the plus side, you get sponsor.

[Juana Summers]

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[Emily Henry]

Chances to tap Fast Forward on your podcast player.

[Juana Summers]

On the plus side, you get to support something you care about. On the minus side, you like challenges.

[Emily Henry]

And think this makes it too easy.

[Juana Summers]

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