My Friends

The unforgettable INSTANT Sunday Times Bestseller!

Preview

Failed to add items

Sorry, we are unable to add the item because your shopping cart is already at capacity.

Add to basket failed.

Please try again later

Add to Wish List failed.

Please try again later

Remove from Wish List failed.

Please try again later

Follow podcast failed

Unfollow podcast failed

Try Premium Plus free

1 credit a month to buy any audiobook in our entire collection.

Access to thousands of additional audiobooks and Originals from the Plus Catalogue.

Member-only deals & discounts.

Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

My Friends

By: Fredrik Backman

Narrated by: Marin Ireland

Try Premium Plus free

Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $26.99

About this listen

The beautiful new novel that will make you laugh and cry, from the global bestselling author of Anxious People and A Man Called Ove. Fredrik Backman returns with an unforgettably funny, deeply moving tale of four teenagers whose friendship creates a bond so powerful that it changes a complete stranger’s life twenty-five years later…

‘A stunning, sweeping, extraordinary story of connection, love, and the unbreakable bonds that guide and shape us. Full of humour and heart, My Friends is simply wonderful’ Chris Whitaker

* AN INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES AND NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER *
* SHORTLISTED FOR AMAZON'S BEST FICTION BOOK OF 2025 *
* AN AUDIBLE BEST LISTEN OF 2025 *
* A GOODREADS READERS' MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF 2025 *
* A BARNES AND NOBLE NATIONAL BOOK CLUB PICK *

You have to take life for granted, the artist thinks, the whole thing: sunrises and slow Sunday mornings and
water balloons and another person’s breath against your neck. That’s the only courageous thing a person can do.

In the corner of one of the most famous paintings in the world three tiny figures sit at the end of a pier. Most people don’t even notice them. Most people think it’s just a depiction of the sea. But Louisa, an aspiring artist herself, knows otherwise.

Twenty-five years earlier, in a distant seaside town, a group of teenagers seek refuge from their bruising home lives by spending long summer days together. They tell jokes, they share secrets, and they commit small acts of rebellion. These lost souls find in each other a reason to get up each morning, a reason to dream, a reason to love.

Out of that summer emerges a transcendent work of art, a painting that will unexpectedly be placed into 18-year-old Louisa’s care. Determined to learn how it came to be and to decide what to do with it, Louisa embarks on a cross-country journey. But the closer she gets to the painting’s birthplace, the more nervous she becomes.

In this stunning testament to the transformative, timeless power of friendship and art, Louisa is proof that happy endings don’t always take the form we expect.

Readers can't get enough of My Friends . . . (***** five star reviews)
'It was perfect. I have no other words to describe this masterpiece. Like, what the hell was I doing all these years??'
'I haven’t read a friendship story this genuine, heartfelt, clumsy, straightforward, smart, sentimental, shocking, and emotionally resonant in a very long time.'
'Is it too early in the year to pick my favourite read of 2025? I think not, as this will be hard to beat.'
'Backman remains my absolute favorite.'
'Absolutely brilliant and beautiful ... I loved, loved, loved this book.'

Best of 2025

Contemporary

Editors Select

Genre Fiction

Literary Fiction

Funny

Feel-Good

Heartfelt

Tear-jerking

Witty

Editorial Review

Uncontrollable tears and laughter at the same time

Sometimes the bonds we make when we’re young stay with us for a lifetime. In My Friends, Fredrik Backman weaves a dual-timeline narrative centered on a group of four teenagers: Joar, Ted, Ali, and a boy simply known as “the artist.” Twenty-five years ago, they found escape and comfort in one another during long days on a forgotten pier in a quiet seaside town. In pure Backman form, the messy parts of being human are front and center—simultaneously ugly and beautiful and so true to life. He explores the meaning and impact of art, how it can connect us as well as change us. Those days on the pier are captured in a painting—one that would go on to become a masterpiece and, unexpectedly, change the life of a girl named Louisa decades later. I could listen to narrator Marin Ireland’s retelling of the old stories and Louisa’s new adventures on an endless loop! As always, Backman has left me wrecked and rebuilt in the course of one novel.—Tricia F., Audible Editor

Most relevant

What an incredible book, what an incredible author. I have no idea who anyone can write so beautifully and with so much emotion and insight into human behaviour and interactions. I absolutely loved this book, it is amazing