by Anthony_Conty: “My Friends” by Fredrik Backman starts like a dream, not because the events are surreal, but because too much reality unfolds at once across two timelines. An artist paints three friends into the corner of a picture, and then the ownership of that painting becomes a sticking point among those in the painter’s life. The sum is greater than its parts.
Ted, one of the people in the painting, gets stuck on a road trip with an eighteen-year-old unhoused woman named Louisa. They have awkward interactions because of their age difference. Ted understands the painting’s origin and the mystery of the individuals, drawn together by similar trauma, on the bench. You feel for them even before you know the full story.
The title offers an interesting focus as we look through the lens of friendship and the loyalty it demands. Both Ted and Louisa look back on those that they fondly trust. Past the halfway point, Louisa makes a surprising decision, and we need more backstory to understand how she got there. It is simple but could have been confusing in other hands.
The book becomes an adventure of sorts as the characters learn about themselves and each other. Mishap after mishap occurs, and we root for a positive outcome. The pasts that made them who they are are unique, and you will struggle to keep them straight, but that somehow makes you more invested in figuring out what is happening.
Ted tells the tale to Louisa, and she feels like she knows all of them, which is the artist’s quirky way of doing the same for the reader. If “The Body” or “Stand by Me” had that effect on you, “My Friends” will as well. The ending, filled with sadness and surprise, will feel right but heartbreaking and intense.
