Bingo: I’m using this book for the “Arts” Bingo space, since the book centers on multiple characters who are artists and on the definition of art itself.
I should really know better, at this point. I should know that if a book has Fredrik Backman’s name on the cover, it will break my heart. But I let myself be tricked by the cover art of carefree swimmers, and went into it expecting a light beach read. While the story did involve beaches, it was not light at all. It was however, excruciatingly beautiful, so I guess I can’t be too mad (at myself of Backman).
My Friends begins with Louisa, foster youth and aspiring artist, breaking into an art auction in order to get a single glimpse of her favorite painting in person. “The One of the Sea” depicts three teenagers laughing together on a pier and is one of the most famous paintings in the world. Louisa’s encounter with this painting will set her on a journey to understand the subjects of the painting and discover the story behind the art.
The narrative jumps back and forth between Louisa’s journey, and a summer 25 years in the past. We learn along with Louisa about the artist and his friends, their unstable home lives, and the solace they found in each other. The text is full of Backman’s musings on life, ranging from the tongue in cheek (“Grown men don’t have enough things they’re afraid of on this planet to become good at running”) to the heartbreaking (“The world is extremely inventive, it has plenty of ways of breaking children.”) It explores themes of friendship, grief, trauma, and art, while spinning characters that feel vividly real an lovable. The only complaint that I have is that Backman relies a little too much on a specific narrative device: he tells you up front that a major character will die but then throws a bunch of twists and turns as you try to figure out which character it’s going to be. It’s a trick he’s used in several of his other novels, but it’s also an extremely effective method of maintaining reader engagement. So if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, I guess. All in all, this was a gorgeous, insightful book that will break your heart and make you like it.