My Friends

A friend recommended this. It’s by the same Swedish author who wrote the book that became the Tom Hanks movie A Man Called Otto.

Louisa is a troubled 18-year-girl who is fresh out of foster homes, and mourning the loss of a friend. She attempts to sabotage the auction of a painting, and happens to meet the artist and his friends.

The story that unfolds happens over two timelines: 25 years in the past, when the artist and his friends were 14-years-old; and the in the present, while Louisa takes a train ride with the artist’s friend to his hometown.

It’s the story of childgood friendships and summers spent together in the supposed innocence of youth. I say “supposed,” because every character has some level of darkness in their life. All throughout the book, there’s a real sense of foreboding – a seemingly inevitable event is going to happen, you just don’t know when or how. There’s lots of foreshadowing as the characters in the present recount what happened 25 prior.

It’s a novel about life and about art: what we find beautiful and inspiring about art, and how that reverberates throughout our lives.

I read it over a 22-hour trip into Germany. It’s an absorbing tale. I’m a better person for having read it.

Book Info