Published: 2025
Author: Fredrik Backman
Genres: Literary Fiction, Contemporary, Coming-of-Age
Audience: Grades 10–12, Adult
Number of Stars: ★★★★★ (5/5)
Goodreads Link: My Friends
Content Warnings: Domestic violence, child abuse, addiction/overdose, terminal illness, foster care trauma, suicidal ideation, and bullying.
Publisher’s Summary
Goodreads Choice AwardWinner for Readers’ Favorite Fiction (2025), Nominee for Readers’ Favorite Audiobook (2025)
#1 New York Times bestselling author Fredrik Backman returns with an unforgettably funny, deeply moving tale of four teenagers whose friendship creates a bond so powerful that it changes a complete stranger’s life twenty-five years later.
Most people don’t even notice them—three tiny figures sitting at the end of a long pier in the corner of one of the most famous paintings in the world. Most people think it’s just a depiction of the sea. But Louisa, an aspiring artist herself, knows otherwise, and she is determined to find out the story of these three enigmatic figures.
Twenty-five years earlier, in a distant seaside town, a group of teenagers find refuge from their bruising home lives by spending long summer days on an abandoned pier, telling silly jokes, sharing secrets, and committing small acts of rebellion. These lost souls find in each other a reason to get up each morning, a reason to dream, a reason to love.
Out of that summer emerges a transcendent work of art, a painting that will unexpectedly be placed into eighteen-year-old Louisa’s care. She embarks on a surprise-filled cross-country journey to learn how the painting came to be and to decide what to do with it. The closer she gets to the painting’s birthplace, the more nervous she becomes about what she’ll find. Louisa is proof that happy endings don’t always take the form we expect in this stunning testament to the transformative, timeless power of friendship and art.
Full Review
I absolutely loved My Friends by Fredrik Backman! It’s such a deeply moving story about found family, grief, and how art can actually help us heal. I’d highly recommend it to anyone who loves character-driven stories that pack a huge emotional punch. If you’re just looking for a light, breezy read, you might want to skip this one, but if you’re okay with heavy themes, it is so worth it.
The major themes revolve around trauma, loyalty, and how a group of misfit kids bond over their shared pain. Backman’s writing is so vivid that you can practically see the artwork the characters create right in your own mind. Because it deals with some really intense stuff like domestic violence and addiction, it is definitely not for kids. That said, it would make for amazing curricular connections in high school or college psychology and literature classes, especially when talking about chosen families or processing grief through art.
The book also does a great job representing diversity through its look at socioeconomic struggles, complex family dynamics, and a closeted teen trying to survive in a tough world. If you loved this one, you really need to check out his other amazing books like A Man Called Ove, Anxious People, and Beartown!
🎒 Classroom & Curricular Connections
- Psychology (Trauma & Resilience): Discuss the concept of Post-Traumatic Growth. How do the teenagers in the “past” timeline use their shared struggle to build something beautiful (the painting) rather than being destroyed by it?
- Fine Arts (Visual Storytelling): Have students analyze a famous painting and “write” the backstory of a minor figure or detail in the background, mimicking Louisa’s curiosity.
- Literature (The Epistolary/Quest Narrative): Analyze how Backman weaves the two timelines together. How does Louisa’s “cross-country journey” mirror her internal emotional journey?
- Social Studies: Examine the portrayal of socioeconomic struggles and the foster care system within the novel. How do these external systems impact the internal development of the characters?
