Book Recommendation – My Friends

I’m a bit behind on my book recommendations, and I thought I had better post at least one of them before I get further behind.

Even though this book is a perfect summer read, it is good in any season. Today I want to suggest My Friends by Fredrik Backman.

My Friends is the sixth book by Backman that I have read. There is something about Backman’s books that I really love. Someone asked me why I enjoyed his books so much. I really struggled to explain why. I felt that his characters were real and relatable. The stories are ones that engage with my emotions.

I never felt that really hit the nail on the head. So I started to look for other reviews and came across this:

Backman “is so good because he masterfully blends humor and heartbreak, creating deeply flawed but relatable characters, often outcasts, who reveal profound truths about humanity, community, and empathy through witty, conversational prose filled with poignant observations and underlying philosophy, making readers feel deeply connected to them and their struggles. He excels at showing the good in people, even the difficult ones, and exploring the importance of connection and kindness in an often harsh world, with stories that are both funny and incredibly touching.“

THAT is exactly why I like his work.

Who doesn’t love a good story about childhood? Readers of my blog are well aware of the many childhood memories I have shared, I often wonder if I could string them together with present events to make them a good book. I probably would not be able to, but Backman does it very well in this book. Here is the Goodreads synopsis:

Most people don’t even notice them—three tiny figures sitting at the end of a long pier in the corner of one of the most famous paintings in the world. Most people think it’s just a depiction of the sea. But Louisa, an aspiring artist herself, knows otherwise, and she is determined to find out the story of these three enigmatic figures.

Twenty-five years earlier, in a distant seaside town, a group of teenagers find refuge from their bruising home lives by spending long summer days on an abandoned pier, telling silly jokes, sharing secrets, and committing small acts of rebellion. These lost souls find in each other a reason to get up each morning, a reason to dream, a reason to love.

Out of that summer emerges a transcendent work of art, a painting that will unexpectedly be placed into eighteen-year-old Louisa’s care. She embarks on a surprise-filled cross-country journey to learn how the painting came to be and to decide what to do with it. The closer she gets to the painting’s birthplace, the more nervous she becomes about what she’ll find. Louisa is proof that happy endings don’t always take the form we expect in this stunning testament to the transformative, timeless power of friendship and art.

I found this to be a very good story. Backman does a great job in giving you enough info to keep you wondering throughout the story. At times, I felt like it was slowing down, but it becomes apparent that even in the “slow” parts you are gaining information that brings everything together.

When I was in radio, my boss used to say “If you make your audience FEEL something – love, happiness, sadness, anger, etc… then you have entertained them.” Backman always makes me feel something and I connect with the characters and the story. He has certainly become a “go to” author for me.

4.5 out of 5 stars.