My Friends

The mystery and connection of childhood friends—and an extraordinary painting—masterfully unspool in this classic Fredrik Backman masterpiece, both heartwarming and heartbreaking. This is a sweet and enchanting story that even a grown man cannot help but alternate between laughter and tears while reading.

Louisa is a day away from her eighteenth birthday and on the run from yet another foster home. “Fish,” her best friend, has recently died with little acknowledgment from the adults around her. Louisa, a burgeoning self-taught artist, sets out to see in person a painting that has long held deep meaning for her. She has faithfully carried a postcard image of The One of the Sea by world-renowned artist C. Jat. While most see a beautiful seascape, Louisa has noticed something others seem to overlook: a small pier jutting out into the vast ocean. At the end of the pier sit three children, vibrating with what seems like laughter and joy.

She aches not only to see the actual painting but to possibly meet the artist and learn the story behind these children. Fortuitously, Louisa encounters the dying artist behind the auction house from which she was just rudely ejected. This meeting sparks a poignant and surprise-filled train journey across the country to the origin of the painting, accompanied by one of the grown teens once depicted in it.

Along the way, she gradually learns of the deep friendship and love shared by four fourteen-year-olds—Joar, Ted, “the Artist,” and “Ali.” Each comes from a flawed and difficult family, in uniquely painful ways, yet they are inexorably drawn together in an unbreakable bond. You’ll come to love these flawed and scarred characters, and perhaps feel a pang of envy that they weren’t your own childhood friends.

Fredrik Backman masterfully weaves a multi-layered, complex story with converging plotlines that escalate in tension and intrigue, culminating in a heart-rending denouement. With flowing and insightful prose, the narrative glides from one heartfelt moment to the next. This poignant tale explores the many diverse constructs of life: friendship, love, addiction, marriage, parenthood, and the far-reaching effects of death on those left behind. It is filled with both wisdom and the absurdities that so often define the human experience. Be prepared to laugh and cry.

I savored this novel, dreading the moment I’d have to say goodbye to so many unforgettable characters. Though intended as a standalone, I hope Backman will revisit the lives of some of these memorable figures in future books.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing an uncorrected proof in exchange for an honest review