Violetta Armour
If this Swedish icon author’s name sounds familiar to you, it might be due to his most popular novel, A Man Called Ove, which was also a movie starring Tom Hanks. He’s written eight novels to date.
My Friends is the story of four teenagers who find solace in each other’s company, and their friendship blossoms into a powerful bond that changes a stranger’s life 25 years later.
Louisa is that stranger, soon turning 18 and eager to graduate out of foster care. One of her few possessions is a postcard of a famous painting she has kept with her since she was little, which inspired her own artistic pursuits—mainly spray painting walls with whatever instruments she could get her hands on. When her best friend passes away, she embarks on a risky plan to commemorate her memory, triggering one of the many police chases in her young life.
This caper leads her to Ted, one of the four teenagers in the famous painting she has carried. Ted, now in his 30s, has also recently lost a friend, and in honoring this dead friend’s dying wish, reluctantly pairs up with Louisa. They embark on a long train journey where they learn of each other’s difficult upbringings, the challenges life has presented, and their hope for future healing. Switching back and forth between Ted and Louisa’s present day and Ted’s childhood adventures with his friends, the story is told in a dual timeline, from one person to another, with unexpected twists.
As one reviewer said, “Backman captures the essence of childhood summers,” which made me nostalgic for my early friendships. So much so that I was prompted to find my class reunion booklets (from 67 years ago) to see if I could find someone I lost touch with. (Thanks to Facebook, many of us have been able to do that, despite years and miles between us.) I also felt a little envious of the magical summer Backman portrays in vivid and humorous detail.
If you do the audio version, I think you’ll like how he captures the voice of a precocious and street-wise 18-year old. You can see and hear Backman’s own voice in an interview (Google “Fred Backman interview”) where he answers fans’ questions and tells what inspired him to write this book.
I did not intend to write two reviews back-to-back about art (last month was Mona’s Eyes). This one is more about friendships than art appreciation and contains many little gems of wisdom, such as, “Sometimes home is with your people rather than a place.”
If you read this, I hope it inspires you to find and treasure the people in your life who make it a home for you.
Violetta Armour, a former bookstore owner, is the author of five novels, including the award-winning I’ll Always Be With You and her Dangerous Pastimes series of cozy mysteries. She resides in Sun Lakes at Robson Reserve where she is meeting new friends who are making it a true home.