Genre: Literary Fiction

I loved My Friends by Fredrik Backman. As advertised by the title, the novel is about friendship - the kind of friendship forged in childhood, in tragedy. The novel is also about art and its power to impact people even to change the world. The novel is about God - what God is and what God means. He weaves these very big motifs into a surprising and delightful fabric.

Summaries by this time are easy to find. I have decided to try and intrigue you with quotes from the work. I love great quotes from a great novel. Indulge me and let me just celebrate a wordsmith.

P 212 You’re an artist if you create something! You’re an artist if you don’t see the world the way it is, if you hate white walls! No one else decides what art is, no one can stop you loving whatever you like, the cynics and critics can have control of all the other crap on the planet…but they can’t decide how hard your heart beats…

P 306 In a library. You don’t have to put up with reality there. It’s as if thousands of strangers have given away their imaginary friends, they’re sitting on the shelves and calling you as you walk past. There’s an author called Donna Tartt who describes why a person falls in love with art:’It’s a secret whisper from an alleyway. Psst, you. Hey kid. Yes, you.’ That’s what libraries feel like to me.

P 381 …”I don’t even think all the people who go to church every Sunday believe in God. I think they just need company. To feel that they belong in a group.” Kimkim nodded gently and replied: “But I don’t think that means that God doesn’t exist, Joar. I think maybe that’s what God is.”

P 417 It’s art that helps me cope. Because art is a fragile magic, just like love, and that’s humanity’s only defense against death. That we create and paint and dance and fall in love, that’s our rebellion against eternity. Everything beautiful is a shield. Vincent van Gogh wrote: ‘I always think that the best way to know God is to love many things.

My Friends by Fredrick Backman reminds me how much I love to read a Fredrick Backman novel. Join me in meeting Louisa and her new friend Ted on their journey - literal and figurative.