Unconditional love, unwavering friendship, self-respect, and reaping what you sow are only a few of the moral lessons swirling around in Mary B. Morrison's HE'S JUST A FRIEND. As Morrison intertwines a myriad of lessons in this swiftly flowing novel, her colorful characters and lively plots entertain and amaze us. Fancy is our main character; however, various other morals sagaciously appear via Fancy's best friends Savoy and Tanya.

     From the outside looking in, one sees Fancy Taylor's prowess, arrogance, tenacious weave, expensive attire adorning a tawdry size 7, an opulent apartment, and luxurious transportation. The various male 'friends' in her life each serve a specific purpose-- money. HE'S JUST A FRIEND is a didactic novel that chronicles the extravagant lifestyle of a money chaser. Morrison successfully shows that appearances are deceiving and that everything has a price. Nothing is without toil no matter how easy it appears to the onlookers. As we dissect Fancy's veneer and chip away her armor, what we find beneath elicits both disgust and pity. As Fancy experiences 'what goes around comes around', she realizes that what she's so often overlooked and taken for granted is indeed her biggest blessing. But once you soil and walk on a rug for so long, not even the washing machine can rejuvenate it to its original tenacity.

     In HE'S JUST A FRIEND you get an action packed story that also makes you ponder. First the characters capture your attention then the lively story ushers you through the novel. Got a minute? That's all you'll need for HE'S JUST A FRIEND because once you get going with it, you'll keep going until it's complete.

Reviewed by KaTrina Love
of the RAWSISTAZ Reviewers