My Friends: A Novel

This Novel is a Masterpiece! It started a bit slow; by Chapter twelve I was drawn into a wonderful Mystery. My favorite Character is “The Artist” His Persona is deep The Author included several laugh out loud moments which help the reader deal with such an emotional Roller-coaster.

Got it a day earlier ☺️ thanks to Amazon! Love this book, deeply touching and very funny!

Like most books I've read by this author, it took me a little while to get into it, but it definitely ended up pulling me in.Backman's writing is as beautiful as I have come to expect from him. He has that quality where he can make you feel so sad and so uplifted at the same time. His books always manage to make me laugh and cry.I struggled a bit in the beginning with Louisa's character. I'm such an introverted people pleaser that I have trouble connecting with someone who is the opposite. But that's probably also the reason I loved Ted. Eventually Louisa grew on me and I became as invested in her as I was with Ted and his friends. The story meanders around a bit and sometimes felt a little too long, but I did feel like I got to know and care about the characters and I'll be sad to see them go.I do have to say that I am maybe not quite artsy enough to fully appreciate the message of the healing power of art. It sounded a little pretentious to me at times. And I don't think I could name one current, popular author. However, I did enjoy the messages of friendship and found family and taking care of each other.While this wasn't my favorite Backman book, it was still definitely worth the read and I look forward to his next book.

“My Friends,” by Fredrik Backman, translated by Neil Smith, Atria Books, 448 pages, May 6, 2025.Louisa breaks into an art auction, planning to vandalize a valuable painting. It is the day before her eighteenth birthday, when she will age out of foster care. She has carried a postcard of this painting with her for years.The painting is “The One of the Sea” by an artist known as C. Jat. It was his first painting; done when he was 14. Louisa is thrown out of the building. She runs off and collides with a homeless man who sends the security guard chasing her off in the wrong direction.Louisa thinks the painting isn’t really about the sea; it is a painting of a fishing pier. And there are three tiny figures at the end of the pier. She is determined to find out the story of the three figures.Twenty-five years earlier, in a distant seaside town, four 14-year-old friends are sitting on a pier. It is their last summer together. They all have difficult home lives. Joar, one of them, sees a newspaper ad for an art competition and tries to convince KimKim, his friend, to enter. But they can’t afford art supplies.KimKim suffers from anxiety and depression. He has cuts on his wrists and pills in his backpack. Joar and KimKim became friends at preschool when they were five. They met Ted when they were 12. Ali was the last to join the group.This is a deeply moving novel about art, friendship, found family, love and grief. As much as I enjoyed Fredrik Backman’s novel “Beartown,” I have to say “My Friends” is even better. His characters will stay with you long after you finish reading it. This book is equally funny and heartbreaking. The ending is outstanding.

Backman’s writing is top-notch here. He somehow creates these broken characters that are so human and fully developed that I feel like I know them and want to hug them!We meet Louisa, a young artist raised in foster homes, about to come face-to-face with a painting she has coveted for some time. It’s a very famous painting of three friends at the end of a pier and the seaside. If you look closely, you will see them. And Louisa wants to know their story.In this magical story, Louisa’s story is mixed in with the artist's and his friend’s stories. These misfit friends are there for each other in so many ways, and they would do anything for each other.Joar, who has to fight battles at home and school, is a fierce protector. Ted is the quiet one in the group. Ali brings joy to the group. And the artist, filled with incredible talent that teachers don’t know how to cultivate. They all have obstacles in life, but their friendship is the biggest gift.We learn the friend’s life stories as they are told to Louisa, and I didn’t want to get to the end of the story either. The summer of the painting came to vivid life in this book. What will Louisa do with all this knowledge, and how will it influence her painting?This one brought out all the emotions as I read it and marveled at Backman’s talented writing. A story that shows us what friendship is all about and how we should cherish our friends.Thank you to Atria Books for my gifted copy. All opinions are my own.