My Friends by Fredrik Backman Book Review

Title: My Friends
Author: Fredrik Backman
Publisher: Atria Books / Simon & Schuster
Genre: Literary / Contemporary Fiction / Coming-of-Age
Year of Publication: 2025
Date of Publication: May 6, 2025
Pages: 448 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1982112820
Audiobook Read by: Marin Ireland

Summary of My Friends by Fredrik Backman

My Friends is a story told in two different timelines. In the present, Louisa, an 18-year-old with a turbulent past, unexpectedly inherits a painting titled “The One of the Sea.” The painting depicts three tiny figures at the end of a pier. Louisa first saw the painting on a postcard that was on a fridge in one of the foster homes she grew up in. The fridge was covered with postcards that depicted famous works of art. Louisa kept the postcard and would talk about the painting all the time as something about that painting appealed to her. When most people view the painting, they simply see a seascape especially because of the title of the painting, but when Louisa looks at it she is immediately drawn to the three figures sitting on the pier and laughing.

Louisa always planned for her and her best friend, Fish, to visit the real life pier but when Fish unexpectedly passes on, Louisa decides to see the painting in real life. That choice sets her on a part that would forever change her life.

“One of us.”

In addition to Louisa’s story, the book also takes readers on a journey that began 25 years earlier, when a group of four teenagers (Joar, Ted, Ali, and “the Artist”) spend a summer in a seaside town. Each of them has a bruised home life but they find refuge in one another and create a bond filled with laughter, secrets, small rebellions, and of course, art. Over that summer emerges a painting that connects to Louisa decades later.

“I love you and I believe in you.”— Something the four friends used to say to each other

As Louisa chases the story behind the painting, she learns about those four misfits, how art can immortalize momentas, and how friendship can leave footprints long after people move apart.

“Art is coincidence.”— Ted

Main Plot & Characters

• Louisa — The present narrative is told from Louisa’s experiences. Having spent time in foster care, Louisa clings to the painting as a connection to something beautiful and meaningful. Her curiosity about the three figures drives the present storyline.
• Ted — He is the quiet and bookish member of the group. Through Ted’s perspective Louisa learns a lot about the friends.
• Joar — He is one of the quartet in the past. Joar is bold but troubled and is often protecting others, a lot of times to his own detriment. His trauma and home life are central to his arc.
• Ali — She is spirited and very independent. Ali, like most of her friends, has a difficult family dynamic.
• The Artist (C. Jat / Kimkim) — He is the friend in the group who paints and captures the summer in visual form. The Artist is reclusive, dealing with internal struggles, and in many ways the linchpin connecting past and present.
• Fish — Louisa’s friend who died of a drug overdose.
• Christian — He worked as a Janitor in the school the four friends attended and his skull tattoo’s and his words inspired the Artist.
• The Ox — He was friend’s with Ted’s brother when they were children.

Writing Style

Backman tells the story using a dual narrative. He alternates between Louisa’s present experiences and the summer of the four teens. One thing you will note very quickly is that all the characters in the book feel real and are flawed.

When it comes to writing a story that will tug at your emotions and put your mind in a state of reflection, Fredrik Backman remains undefeated. We had the same feelings when we read A Man Called Ove, Anxious People, and Beartown. The way Backman describes each character and their emotions is truly amazing. As a reader, you feel their joy, pain, small smiles, tears, just about everything.

“The world is full of miracles, but none greater than how far a young person can be carried by someone else’s belief in them.”— Ted‘s reflections

We absolutely loved each character’s story, especially the friendships, and how they bought the art supplies that were used to paint the famous painting. Just like Wally Lamb does in the book The River is Waiting, Backman not only builds the characters in the book but also gives life to inanimate objects such as the painting, the pier, the skulls, and the sea.

With that said, some parts of the story did feel unrealistic i.e. The Artist giving Louisa the painting after such a brief encounter and also what eventually happened to the painting (or maybe we are just greedy, lack imagination, have not live enough, or are just not “one of them,” could be actually). Again, there were portions of the book that could have been edited out as they created some pacing and repetition issues but overall we really enjoyed this book.

There are parts of the book that are heavy and include friends who pass away, domestic violence, and addiction, so keep that in mind and take breaks if you need to while reading the story.

Memorable Quotes

• “The children of addicts always know what the time is.”
• “Grown men don’t have enough things they are afraid of to become good at running.”— Louisa’s reflections
• “Don’t hurt yourself.” — Christian and later The Artist to Louisa
• “Art is coincidence, love is chaos.”— Ted
• “Art needs friends.” — Christian
• “Great art is a small break from human despair.” — Christian reflecting on the words of his mother
• “It’s so easy to be a critic, any coward can do that. But art doesn’t need critics….” — Christian
• “The most dangerous place on earth is inside us.” — Joar’s reflections
• “He paints like the birds sing.” — Christian
• “I believe in you!” — Ali
• “…her crushes were like the drugs she took, happiness on credit.”— Louisa’s thoughts about her friend Fish
• “It would probably have been enough for a small bird to land and take off again.”— Ted’s reflections
• “…what evil among men is like: It’s like water being heated up a little at a time. It gets worse and worse, but so slowly it’s hardly noticeable, so everyone can convince themselves that it’s probably normal, until we’re all boiling.”— Louisa’s reflecting on Fish’s words
• “The main character and the hero. They aren’t the same thing.” — Joar
• “It’s a long life, but fast, one single step in the right direction can be enough”— Ted‘s reflections
• “Disappointment is a powerful thing. Used correctly, it is stronger than fear, more terrible than physical pain, if you see it in the eyes of the one you love, you’ll do almost anything to make it stop.”
• “They are not stolen, they are adopted.”— Ted reflecting on Jorah’s father
• “Then there was nothing but waiting. Anyone who hasn’t seen real violence probably won’t understand that, but the minutes between the beatings are the worst.”
• “HERE! HERE! HERE! HERE!” — The responses the four friends call out

“You’re the happy ending.” — Joar

Final Thoughts on My Friends by Fredrik Backman

My Friends is a beautiful story about connection, memory, and how friendships shape who we become. Backman leaves you thinking about what we inherit from the people who once mattered, and how stories, like paintings, live on through those who keep remembering. The novel captures the ache of growing up, the weight of loss, and the quiet strength that comes from being seen and believed in.

While the story is deeply emotional, a few parts stretched believability i.e. The Artist giving Louisa the painting after such a short meeting and what eventually happens to the painting. Still, those details do not in anyway overshadow how powerful and real this book feels.

If you enjoy stories about friendships, art, and redemption, then My Friends is definitely worth reading.

“It’s a long story.” — Ted and also Joar

Book Rating

Have you read My Friends yet? If so, which past character’s story drew you in the most?

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