Book Review: "My Friends" by Fredrik Backman
Fredrik Backman, author of A Man Called Ove, is back with a tender story of a group of friends, the value of art, and the power of connection. My Friends opens with Louisa, a teenager entering an art auction with a backpack full of spray paint. Her aim is not to vandalize priceless art but something much more simple. But within an hour her life is turned upside down after an encounter with an ailing artist.
At the center of the book is his painting, “The One of the Sea,” his first serious work, created when the artist was a teen himself. His small circle of friends had, at that point, thought of him simply as The Artist and encouraged him, even forced him to begin the painting. Joar is the wild one of their group, quick to fight and steal, but unexpectedly loving with friends and his mother whose abusive husband terrorizes them both. Ted is quiet, organized, nerdy, unexpectedly funny funny when he chooses to be.
The two of them are pictured in the painting, far out at the end of the pier with a third figure who might be the artist himself or perhaps someone else altogether. Their love and laughter is apparent from the body language of the figures, even in the distance. Now years later the painting is up for auction. The Artist is dying and relying on Ted to fulfill his plan, which leaves Ted with The Artist’s ashes and the painting itself, bequeathed unexpectedly to Louisa.
Over the course of a train journey with Ted who reluctantly allows her to accompany him, Louisa learns the story of their friendship and their struggles in a working class town that had little patience with young people trying to find their place in the world.
Louisa herself has been in foster homes for most of her life, her loneliness assuaged by the presence of her friend Fish. Newly turned eighteen, she is ready to strike out on her own, knowing that she’s not the easiest person to get along with. She talks too much, she’s impulsive, she asks inappropriate questions. She’s everything that drives Ted up the wall. His caution and self-containment drive her crazy, but when he comes out with what are essentially dad jokes, there’s also something weirdly appealing about him.
Within their stories and arguments are many, many ideas about art and what it does. These are worked in quite naturally and never feel forced, a tribute to the characters Backman has developed. Many are statements that begin with “Art is ….” I began highlighting them once I realized how often they appeared. A discussion of these would be a fascinating book club activity.
My Friends is a powerful story of love and connection across time. It took me a little while to become used to Backman’s sometimes quirky writing style, but once I got to know the characters, I was hooked to the point of not wanting the story to end. That’s always a happy way for a librarian to read, imagining our patrons getting to know and love these characters, just as we do.
My Friends will be published on May 6th. Thanks to NetGalley for sending a free galley in exchange for an honest review.