My Friends: A Novel

Incredible. Just incredible. I cried and laughed all at the same time and finished the book in a day. Couldn’t put it down.

While the story is interesting, the writing is pretty bad.. not as expected. Book delivered in excellent condition

Finally finished this beautiful beautiful book and there’s a lump in my throat. A story which begins with a group of children growing up in a harsh unforgiving environment but with such strong friendship bonds. These bonds form their own stories and carry you through the whole book. A story of an unassuming gifted artist boy that doesn’t know his worth, but his friends do. A story of loss resilience and wonder, of chance encounters of people like them who don’t know their true potential and they can help along the way. A story of hardship and struggles but of survival and hope and written in the most beautiful poetic language to ponder over. This author understands the human condition. Readers have said it’s his best ever and I have to agree. I enjoyed A man called Ove. Some didn’t, but this book, this writing, far surpassed it in superiority. It’s a long time since I read anything as good. Take your time with it if you choose to read it. It’s a book that needs reflection and in my opinion would be far too much in one sitting and it deserves more. If there is any art poetry creativity in your bones it deserves picking up.

You’ve probably heard of or read A Man Called Ove. Lovely, relatable story, but Backman outdoes himself with My Friends. It is a masterpiece of human connection, love, heartbreak, loss. It’s a coming of age story, but unique in many ways: the descriptive writing, the flawed characters, the teenage humor, the quiet yet intriguing plot. The deeply painful topics of DV, alcoholism, neglect, poverty, street violence, etc are laid bare, but an undercurrent of love, trust and hope winds it way throughout the book, and art is the thread that holds all the messiness together. I wish I could read it again for the first time.

Excellent Book! Worth the read.

Wonderful story. Poignant telling of the relationships of four, 14 year olds. It tugged at my emotions throughout.

Incredibly fun