My Friends by Fredrik Backman @backmansk @marinireland @simon.audio @simonaudio.bsky.social #MyFriends

the setup…
Louisa, just a few days shy of her eighteenth birthday, decides to leave her foster home in search of the painting that left an indelible mark on her soul from the moment she saw it on a postcard years before. She makes her way into the New York gallery where The One of the Sea is up for auction, only to be chased out into an alley by security. It’s serendipitous that the “homeless” man who reaches out to help her is actually the artist himself known simply as J.Cat. It’s genius recognizing it in another as Louisa, an artist herself, is one of the few who really “sees” the painting. He sends his best friend Ted on a mission to find her after she continues her escape who takes her on a journey literally and figuratively back to a summer twenty-five years ago when four teenagers found refuge in each other from their dismal home lives and were the inspiration for the painting.

the heart of the story…
This is a story best consumed without distraction and interruption in order to truly capture its eloquence. Ted shares with Louisa how the four members of the group, all unique personalities from different backgrounds, found each other. Their family lives will break your heart but also expose the miracle of their friendship. I was as mesmerized as Louisa was in each of their circumstances but moved even more by the depth of their commitment to each other and the one known as the artist.

the narration…
Marin Ireland is one of my favorites and she did an exceptional job of storytelling. Hers was as moving a performance as the prose.

the bottom line…
What I initially felt was a slow start transitioned into something pretty special. I reached a point where I couldn’t stop listening, needing to see around the next bend and fully invested in what was happening to these teens and the genesis of that painting. They were remarkable, especially given their home lives and I had to know where they landed. It’s both beautiful and difficult, a work of art itself. It was emotionally spellbinding.

Book Info

• Release Date: May 6, 2025
• Narrator: Marin Ireland
• Audio Length: 13 hours, 22 minutes
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

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(Thanks Simon & Schuster Audio and Libro.fm for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.)