57 pages • 1 hour read
My Friends
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Background
Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of child abuse, physical abuse, and emotional abuse.
Authorial Context: Fredrik Backman’s Definition of Art
My Friends continues Backman’s exploration of trauma and mental health, themes that have been central to much of his work. In earlier novels, such as A Man Called Ove (2012), Beartown (2016), and Anxious People (2019), Backman consistently demonstrates a focused attention to the psychological burdens people carry and the complex, often messy ways they cope with them. Backman explores how survivors live with the aftermath of tragedy and how trauma can fester in silence as communities either fail or come together to support healing.
Through the lens of intergenerational and systemic trauma, My Friends explores how art can be a refuge for those in pain. The artist and his friends are children caught in cycles of abuse, neglect, and poverty. In the past timeline, through their friendship and appreciation for artistic expression, the friends find ways to survive in a world that seems set to silence and destroy them. In the present, Louisa’s connection to a single piece of art alters her entire life, setting her on a path toward discovering her identity and belonging.
Backman states that before meeting his wife, he didn’t have an appreciation for works of art.
