My Friends by Fredrick Backman
The bestselling author of Anxious People and A Man Called Ove has returned with an intriguingly funny yet moving tale about the bonds of teenage friendship and its lasting effects beyond childhood. Through typical adolescent antics as well as not so typical life situations, Backman weaves their story from finding each other through the interdependency that develops along with their friendship; each one helping the others in different ways to navigate unique personalities, trials, and family situations. Inspired by the need to protect one of the most creative and fragile of the group, they relentlessly encourage him to paint a picture to be entered into a contest- knowing full well, as children often think they do, that he will win and ultimately get away from their little town.
Twenty-five years after the creation of the painting, an aspiring artist-Louisa, while admiring the work, notices and is intrigued by the tiny figures at the end of the long pier. Eventually she finds herself in the unexpected situation of possessing the painting, consequently she’s now even more determined to uncover the story of the nearly hidden ambiguous figures.
With his precise storytelling, the author escorts the reader along with Louisa as she embarks on a bit of an obsessive and unconventional quest of discovery to learn how the painting came to be and to decide what to do with it. As the narrative shifts between the past and the present, we can’t help but empathize with Louisa throughout her journey, simultaneously experiencing feelings excitement, nervousness, and apprehension with all of them. In his typical way, Bachman’s characters learn that the timeless bonds of friendship and love, as well as happy endings come in many forms.
Friendship, dreams, reasons to love, grief, and the power of art – My Friends has it all. Another Fredrick Bachman tale you won’t be able to put down.
For additional information about My Friends and the author, visit: https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Fredrik-Backman/411545926 .