Reviews - My Friends | The StoryGraph

7.19k reviews for:

My Friends

Fredrik Backman

4.54 AVERAGE

escapingwithbooks's review against another edition

4.5

emotional funny hopeful sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This started off a little slow for me, but as it got to the 25% mark it changed more into a page turner. I love how the story is eeked out in stops and starts over the train journey. The writing style in this is so good and engaging. There's a lot of beautiful thoughts and the friendship between the main characters is very special, he really captures how silly teenagers can be and the fact that they're so supportive of each other 'I love you and I believe in you' is heart warming.

There were a couple of downsides for me though. The new mum who kept apologising for 'baby brain'? She was a very 2D character and a little annoying. The fact that she gave her name and number to Ted with an invite to stay with them anytime was... weird. Ma'am, you've known him for a hot second on a train journey, maybe don't open your house to strangers especially when you have a baby? I did wonder for a moment if it was going to be signficant in some way but no, it was just a clunky plot device so Ted could

get back the painting and the ashes.

My other issue with the book was (Big Spoiler)

how Ali was just killed, off page and dismissed. A vague 'she moved away and a few years later went into the sea and never came back'. As a main character I think she deserved better, deserved a more fitting send off. I was half expecting her to be the new mum on the train who somehow didn't recognise Ted because of baby brain and wouldn't that have been a good twist? But no, she was just killed off.