Fredrik Backman's books are not subtle. Their emotion and power hit us like a fist to the face. And in his latest novel, there are literally multiple fists hitting multiple faces.

MY FRIENDS is about many things: the power of great art, the paradox of youth --- the cruelty and the joys, the strength of childhood friendships, the horror of abusive parents and teachers --- and the transformational nature of love. The characters he shares are all rough, troubled people; not one is polished, urbane or sophisticated. But we love them for who they are --- down-to-earth teenagers doing the best they can who become adults who do the same.

The story is, in some ways, a tribute to the powerful nature of art. In an interview with the American Booksellers Association, Backman shared that his wife loves art. So the inspiration for part of this book must lie with her influence. Backman said, "In the book, I wrote this line where a nurse turns to a world-famous artist and says: 'My husband loved your work. We saw some of your paintings in a gallery once. I loved the way he looked when he looked at them.' That’s from the way I feel about going to museums with my wife. I love how much she loves things."

"There are twists and unexpected outcomes. Yet Backman's brilliance is in presenting us with characters we may not be able to relate to, but whose understanding of the world is as bright and filled with knowledge as the sea that is depicted in the artist's famous painting."

This clearly shines through in Backman's narrative. One of the main characters, Louisa, is in foster care, which is not a safe place. Her best friend died shortly after leaving foster care. The two of them had slept together in their foster home, clutching screwdrivers as weapons against anyone who would harm them. They shared the best and worst of their lives. But Backman reminds us that "the most dangerous place on earth is inside us. Fragile hearts break in palaces and dark alleys alike." Louisa is alone now, with only her sketchbook and her drawings for comfort.

Backman plays with the timeline. He introduces us to Louisa when she is 17, and the others are just shy of 40. But when she (literally) runs into the man whose art is central to the story, the connection is immediate. And the artist's reaction to their meeting sets up the rest of the novel. It's through Louisa's eyes that we meet Ted, one of the artist's best friends, and he becomes the storyteller. Most of the book is about the characters as teenagers, Louisa now, and the artist and his friends 25 years ago.

MY FRIENDS is replete with Backmanisms --- his irreverent manner of narrating, using sarcasm, talking directly to us, using hyperbole. "They were sweating so much that if they went for a swim, the sea would end up saltier, they were so hot that if they burned themselves on a cigarette, the cigarette would scream." The novel is an ode to childhood and teenage years when, in Backman's eyes, certain young adults --- but certainly not real adults --- see life clearly, suffer from reality, and love fiercely.

The children here are from a place and from families where nothing was expected; since they were born poor, they would die poor. Their fathers were often drunk, and the kids were told they were stupid or worthless. Or, in the case of the artist --- who was different from others starting at a very young age --- that he should try to be more "normal." Backman writes, "Because in an ugly place, he was born with so much beauty inside him that it was like an act of rebellion. In a world full of sledgehammers, his art was a declaration of war."

In addition to the pathos and the heartbreak that is the reality of the lives of these teenagers, Backman provides humor. The four friends include Joar, the smallest of the group who has the heart of a lion and will fight for what is right with the strength of a gang of thugs. Ted is shy and timid; he's the only one with a home that's fairly intact, where the lights all function and the fridge has food. Ali, the lone girl in the group, is fearless and brave, loving and determined. And there is the artist, which is how Backman refers to him for most of the novel. It’s this teenager who creates a work of art that rocks the world and makes him one of the most famous artists of all time.

What we realize by the end of the book is that the artist only became famous because of his friends. They were the instrument by which he was able to accumulate fame and wealth, but all he really wanted was to go back to their time together. To the artist, the money and the wealthy trappings meant nothing. His original work of art --- with his friends in it, painted during the best time of his life because he had his friends around him --- meant everything.

Backman is honest on social media about his struggles with mental health issues. Anxiety, depression and suicide are all recurrent themes in his books. The artist in MY FRIENDS exemplifies these struggles with his panic attacks and dependence on pills. "When he was thirty, he was taking pills every day, because no one who loved him was around to look in his backpack anymore." His friends were more than just that; they were family and a source of love.

The novel takes us to the darkest places that a person might visit, but Backman also teaches us that some people, those who seem a bit different, might have hidden wings. They might be able to soar above the rest of us, rising to heights those of us lacking such appendages will never know. There are so many poignant parts of this story, as there are in all of Backman's novels, that I often found myself stopping and rereading sentences and paragraphs. I needed to read them again to internalize the words, the meaning and the emotions behind the printed letters.

There are twists and unexpected outcomes. Yet Backman's brilliance is in presenting us with characters we may not be able to relate to, but whose understanding of the world is as bright and filled with knowledge as the sea that is depicted in the artist's famous painting. Our hearts break over and over again as we journey with Louisa and Ted and hear their stories, but we also emerge --- as they do --- stronger because of that trip.