My Rating: 5/5
Backman is one of my favourites from the current crop of writers, and this is his latest book that I got to lay my hands on in our little library, which I visit every two weeks. Incredible is the story that he has written with such ease which works like a time travelling machine because it sent me back in time when I was a teenager and had a bunch of friends just like our protagonist, four of the best friends go through so many ups and downs in one summer and how their lives change over the 25 years of which the story covers majority of the events in lovely flashbacks. One of them becomes a terrific artist whose one particular painting is worth a million bucks, and he gifts it to a little girl because he feels “she was one of them”. How beautiful is that? The same homeless orphan girl goes on a journey of a lifetime with one of the four friends to uncover their stories for us (and for herself). She, too, had recently lost a best friend named Fish. The best part of the story is the painting itself, the way he has shown it in his beautiful words, and especially the way the little girl, an artist herself, explores it further to decode so much hidden in the beauty of it, was totally rocking. I have so many similar memories of our own rebellion without a cause that we did back in the day and than I read these teenagers do the same and the way they hang around the pier everyday throughout the summer, as they part every night they dont say “Goodbyes” they rather say “Tomorrow”, that was so damn right, it was always tomorrow that we wished each other that we will meet again without fail. The entire story, stretched over 400+ pages, is so heartwarming and life-like; no mention of any city or town, yet the journey of one of the friends with the teenage girl to take the painting to its birthplace was no less than an epic adventure. I am sure this will be another of those rare books that I will now read again and again in the very near future.
I loved all four characters. They are so unique, each with its own quirks, yet very much alike. The way they talk, argue, fight, and then make up is amazing. This book is a translation, but I’m sure it doesn’t miss anything. I had so much fun reading their perspectives. The story is mostly told in two versions. One follows the teenage girl, the other the 40-year-old teacher. His only task is to ensure she gets the painting, since it was a gift from his friend. How he does this, and where the painting ends up, make up the story. I liked the third friend as well, who becomes a self-made mechanic and dates the fourth one. Choosing a favourite among them all would be tough for me.
Have you read My Friends? I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. If not, give it a try—you won't regret it. I’m now excited to read more of Backman’s work. This one stands alongside my favourite, "A Man Called One".
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