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theuncorkedlibrarian 's review for:
My Friends
by Fredrik Backman
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A book about friends, a book set largely on a train, middle-age characters (well, the start of "middle age" at 39/40 years old - but also how our experiences age us), a 4-star Goodreads pick, water for crying or the pier/swimming, and an over 400-page novel (if you are participating in our Uncorked Reading Challenge), this is a tough but excellent book.
However, if you are a mood reader, I know I struggled at first with the heavy topics of abuse, sexual assault, suicide, and more... I almost quit 25% of the way in just for the heaviness (a 'me' problem), but the story does get more hopeful and meaningful. This isn't trauma p*** like we've seen so much of in recent publishing. I do wish the pacing was better/faster about 60% in, though.
Plot: Louise and Fish are friends in foster care, but as we quickly learn, Fish (who just aged out of the system) is dead. Louise is on the run as her 18th birthday nears, going to see a painting from a postcard of three children on a pier that has kept her spirits up over the years. At the gallery, a chain of events changes her entire life, including meeting Ted.
We learn the story of the friends on the pier and meet some of them 25 years in the future. There are plot twists, tons of life lessons, and of course, you can hear Backman's signature storytelling throughout.
Check all of the trigger warnings before reading My Friends.
However, if you are a mood reader, I know I struggled at first with the heavy topics of abuse, sexual assault, suicide, and more... I almost quit 25% of the way in just for the heaviness (a 'me' problem), but the story does get more hopeful and meaningful. This isn't trauma p*** like we've seen so much of in recent publishing. I do wish the pacing was better/faster about 60% in, though.
Plot: Louise and Fish are friends in foster care, but as we quickly learn, Fish (who just aged out of the system) is dead. Louise is on the run as her 18th birthday nears, going to see a painting from a postcard of three children on a pier that has kept her spirits up over the years. At the gallery, a chain of events changes her entire life, including meeting Ted.
We learn the story of the friends on the pier and meet some of them 25 years in the future. There are plot twists, tons of life lessons, and of course, you can hear Backman's signature storytelling throughout.
Check all of the trigger warnings before reading My Friends.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Suicide