When I first saw this topic, there were two pairs of characters that immediately came to mind.
It was a lot more difficult for me to find characters from books that fit the theme as well as these two. Cory and Shawn (Boy Meets World) were my first ever example of a bromance, and probably the strongest I’ve ever seen. They were childhood best friends who remained best friends all through their lives, despite going in separate directions as they got older and all of their differences. Cory was a pretty average kid from a middle-class, very supportive family, and Shawn grew up in a trailer park with a strange and broken family and struggled his whole life with figuring out where he fit in. The boys were such strong friends who supported each other above all else, and it was incredible to see how close they remained through everything.
House and Wilson were another solid example. For those who don’t know, House is an eccentric genius doctor, and Wilson is the best friend who tries to keep him somewhat under control. Before watching this show, I’d never been a huge fan of medical procedural shows, but it was the interactions between the characters, including between House and Wilson that really made it work. There’s no denying that House is incredibly difficult to put up with, but Wilson sticks by him and does his best to keep House out of trouble, and House in his own bizarre way is just as protective of Wilson. It was actually very hard for me to find examples from books that were bromances anywhere near on the level of these.
Top 5 Wednesday is a meme created by Gingerreadslainey on Youtube, and is now hosted by Sam at ThoughtsOnTomes. The official GoodReads group with the weekly topics can be found here.
1) Sirius and Lupin (Harry Potter series)
This is probably the most obvious choice, although a case could also be made for Harry and Ron. I’ve always been very interested in the Marauder’s and wanted to know more about their time at Hogwarts. It may be because they were the last remaining (and not Dark) Marauders remaining, but these two seem particularly close, to the point where there is a huge non-canon following that ships these two. While I don’t necessarily agree that it goes that far, the friendship between them as well as James Potter was very strong and definitely seems to fall into the bromance category.
2) George and Lennie (Of Mice and Men)
This one may be a little more questionable because of how it ended, but I would say George and Lennie qualify because of how they stick together and look out for each other. George and Lennie are two field workers who travel together, work together, and help each other. Their friendship is complicated a bit by George’s need to take care of Lennie who has a cognitive disability but is also very physically strong. Although he frequently seems frustrated with Lennie, George stays with him and does everything he can to protect Lennie, make sure he finds work, and keeps him from getting into trouble. The ending of this story was so upsetting precisely because of the powerful friendship between the two men, and given how short the book is, it is very well-developed.
3) Amir and Hassan (The Kite Runner)
This is another bromance that might be debatable. Amir is the son of a wealthy merchant and a member of the ruling class, and Hassan is his servant but also his best friend. The main reason I think this one is questionable is because of this power discrepancy between the two of them. The boys grew up together as best friends, and in the beginning it seems that neither of them care that they are from different social statuses. It is not until later that this becomes an issue for Amir, leading to an act that separates the boys and for decades. Even though they are no longer speaking, the bond between the two boys is still a running theme as Amir spends most of his life trying to make up for his mistakes and repair the damage done to his relationship with Hassan. It is definitely one that is a bit more controversial, but I think you can make a case for it.
4) Augustus and Isaac (The Fault in Our Stars)
This was one of the friendships on the list that was a little less memorable to me, but at the time I read the book, I remember that I really enjoyed the friendship between Augustus and his best friend Isaac, both of whom have cancer. The boys have a close friendship, and seem to have a lot of inside jokes. It’s been a long time since I read this book, but if I remember correctly, a lot of their friendship history seems to be left off the page. I was a little hesitant to include this one because I could not remember it as clearly, but I thought the two boys were very supportive of each other and helped each other through some very difficult situations, including both normal teenage experiences and much more complex emotions due to their medical problems. This is another book that may be due for a re-read at some point.
5) Sherlock Holmes and Watson
Although this was one of the most immediate examples that came to mind, I was reluctant to include it because I have only read one Sherlock Holmes book so far (The Hound of the Baskervilles). I’ve never quite been certain of how much of the bromance angle was really in the books, and how much is just from the huge cultural phenomenon surrounding these two. Holmes and Watson are typically cited as one of the strongest friendships in literature, although it seems to be along the lines of House and Wilson due to the eccentricity of the main character. I will have to read more of these books to find out how much of it is from the books, but it is definitely one of the most well-known!
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