‘We were friends.’ (Jonsberg 2004, p. 43) Friendship is represented accurately and efficiently in Barry Jonsberg’s The Whole Business with Kiffo and the Pitbull. The protagonist Kiffo and the narrator Calma’s relationship changes throughout the novel, it strengthens and they learn lots of things from it. Calma and Kiffo have shared experiences, shared interests and genuine care for each other which contributes to their strong friendship. Kiffo and Calma’s friendship sprouted early on, from their shared experience of being raised by a single parent and losing a family member. Calma’s father left her family when Calma was in year six. Kiffo was there for her during this hard time, which made their friendship stronger. ‘“Are you okay?” … [Kiffo] says, gently.’ (Jonsberg 2004, p. 208) Kiffo lost his mother so he could …show more content…
Calma has strong feelings towards Kiffo, and it reflects in her attitude towards him. She loves Kiffo more than ‘forty thousand brothers’ (Jonsberg 2004, p. 231) which she only realises after he is gone. Calma cares for Kiffo, ‘Because of some misguided sense of loyalty, based on the flimsy premise that Kiffo and I shared some form of history.’ (Jonsberg 2004, p. 60) This quote indicates that she is loyal to him because they shared an experience. However, she did not really deeply appreciate that he was there for her during her tough times until he was gone. Throughout the novel they go on adventures together, getting worried about each other when they get into danger. When Kiffo passes, Calma does not reveal how much she missed him, possibly due to shock. But when she speaks at his funeral, she reveals her true feelings towards Kiffo. Calma does not realise her feelings towards Kiffo until he is not there, which teaches us to appreciate every moment we have with someone because they can be taken away