Funny Story

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