Book Review: My Friends by Fredrik Backman

Genre: Contemporary Contemporary Fiction / Coming-of-Age / Small-Town Drama

Vibe: Suspenseful, heartfelt, artistic, nostalgic

 First Impressions

My Friends by Fredrik Backman is a part coming-of-age and  part suspense novel that is full of humour, emotion, and the important friendships of youth that shape who we are. I loved it and was reminded, with nostalgia, of my own experience of that time of being a young teenager and growing up in a small town.

Story Overview

Set in a small seaside town where everyone knows everyone, the story follows a group of childhood friends whose lives have taken different turns, yet remain bound by the past, art, loyalty, jealousy, and the unspoken things that bond people who grew up together. Backman reflects these relationships with humour and thoughtfulness, but also with an edge. There is a thread of tension that builds towards an unexpected conclusion. 

It’s a novel about growing up and trying to make sense of where we came from, the people who shaped us, and the things we wish we’d said. It’s also about art -  how it saves us but also sometimes hurts the people we love the most.

Alongside the main storyline, I especially loved the friendship that develops between Ted and Louisa. Their unlikely connection that bridges age, loneliness, and grief,  adds a balance to the novel’s darker undercurrents. It’s through their tentative and awkward exchanges that Backman reminds us how friendship can arrive when and where we least expect it, and how healing can come through being seen by another.

The Vibe

Suspenseful, emotional and beautifully written, My Friends manages to be both a page-turner and a heart-warmer -  a combination that left me still thinking about it after I finished the last page.

What I loved about Backman’s writing is how he takes ordinary people and makes their emotions feel universal. You can feel the ache of growing up in a place that both holds and traps you. As well, you are reminded of the deep, almost obsessive, love of your friends as teenagers. And as well, through Ted and Louisa, the love that can develop through new friends later in life.

The pacing balances between reflection and  suspense. Just when you think you’re reading a coming-of-age tale, a sharp twist surfaces, making it impossible to put the book down.

Each character feels alive, flawed, and familiar. You may not always like them, but you’ll recognize them -  the friend who left, the one who stayed, the one who tries to fix everyone else. 

Reading My Friends was a reminder of how fragile, confusing, and beautiful those early friendships can be. It’s a book that stays with you, both because of the mystery as well as the story.

Favourite Quotes:

“Because we all need someone who remembers who we were before the world told us who we should be.”

Personally, I still cherish my high school friendships for exactly that reason - they knew me before. They know me at my most authentic self.

“Art doesn’t heal us by fixing what’s broken. It heals us by showing that broken things can still be beautiful.”

This quote reminded me of the Japanese idea of wabi sabi - that it’s the imperfections that have beauty. Also, that art is a means of self expression. 

“Some friendships end quietly, not with fights but with distance. And yet, years later, you still think of them when the light hits the water just right.”

This speaks about the endurance of friendship again, that exists beyond location and time.

Final Thoughts

I actually picked up this novel before it became popular this summer,  purely based on the cover (as I like to do!). I hadn’t read anything by Backman before, and after looking him up, I was surprised to learn he’s Swedish and that the novel is a translation. I had assumed it was set in the United States, which explained why Louisa’s voice occasionally felt slightly off to me as an eighteen-year-old girl. Once I realized the cultural layer behind it, it made much more sense.

My Friends is one of those novels that pulls you into someone else’s world and expands the way you feel about your own. It’s tender, witty, and suspenseful, with just enough heartache. If you enjoy stories about friendship, small towns, and the way art connects us, this one deserves a spot on your nightstand.

Rating: 4.5 / 5 📚 

Perfect for: Fans of small-town dramas, art lovers, and anyone who still thinks about their teenage friends.