A review by bethreadsandnaps
My Friends by Fredrik Backman

4.25

 

4.25 ⭐️

Backman does it again with a unique and interesting narrative that provides excellent insights into human nature!  

Ted and his friends were the subject of a painting by a boy who became a famous artist. Twenty-five years later, the artist bequeathed this famous and sought-after painting to a girl named Louisa he just met because she reminded him of someone he used to know. Ted was in charge of getting the painting to her after the artist’s death, and then Ted (almost 40 years old) and Louisa end up traveling together. Louisa learns about the story of the friends that served as inspiration for the painting. 

➕ Backman’s insights on human nature are extraordinary, as usual. You smile when he says something true that applies to yourself and your friends. You laugh. And he can put you in a sentimental mood as well.  

➕ Both Ted and Louisa are actively grieving, and I thought it was both heartbreaking and heart-mending to read their interactions with one another. 

➖ There seemed to be a lot of bonding among the adolescents due to their life circumstances (i.e., they are alienated from others, parent-less or have abusive parents, etc.). I wonder if they would have come together otherwise. Still, I did enjoy seeing these relationships and how they endured.   

➖ The reader might need to bring some patience. Toward the end of the novel (about 85% in), I was starting to lose some patience with the story and wanted it to wrap up. I think Backman’s human insights shined in the first and middle parts. The last part seemed to wrap up the story of Ted’s friends, but felt strung out too long.   

I really enjoyed this most recent novel from Backman! A Man Called Ove remains my favorite of his, with this now in second place. I enjoyed this one more than the Beartown series (which I really liked!). 

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for an Advance Reader Copy in exchange for an unbiased review. 

It publishes May 6, 2025.