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My Friends
By Fredrik Backman
Atria, May 2025, 448pp.

The Short of It:

A keeper. Whether it’s on audio, in paperback or hardback. Get yourself a copy.

The Rest of It:

The title is appropriate. My Friends promises to be a buddy story, and let me tell you, it does not disappoint. Think Stand by Me or Stranger Things but without the Demogorgons.

Louisa received a postcard of three children on a pier and from that moment on she has been obsessed with that image. More so, because she is an artist herself. Oh sure, she doesn’t see herself as one but her obsession with that image brings her to the museum where that painting is hanging on a gallery wall.

So begins the story. Louisa’s rough upbringing lends her a raw, tattered edge that most see as trouble. She looks homeless because she is. At just 18 years old, she’s seen things and although she has found love once before, the idea of ever finding it again seems impossible. She’s guarded and hides behind her hair most of the time.

One day in an alley, after fleeing a tense situation that she got herself into, she meets a “homeless” man who changes everything for her. Just their meeting sparks something inside of her. Who is this man? And what wisdom does he hold?

I don’t want to give the story away because it’s an amazing story of friendship and love. A buddy story for sure but so much more. These characters are so real, I felt like I knew them. They each represent someone we know. Guaranteed.

Get yourself a copy. You won’t be sorry. There is so much here about love and art and friendship. It brought a tear to my eye a few times.

Highly recommend.

Source: Borrowed
Disclosure: This post contains Bookshop.org affiliate links.

1984
By George Orwell
Signet, 9780451524935, 1950 but originally in 1948, 352 pp.

The Short of It:

Prophetic and terrifying.

The Rest of It:

I’ve read 1984 three times in the past but the details didn’t’ stick with me. With our recent election, parts of the book kept coming back to me so I was curious to see how the book would hold up now.

Let’s just say that not only does it hold up, it mirrors certain recent events and beliefs. I found it to be absolutely terrifying and disturbing this time around.

Winston Smith is a Ministry employee. There are four ministries:

Ministry of Truth (news and entertainment, education)
Ministry of Peace (war)
Ministry of Love (law and order)
Ministry of Plenty (economic affairs)

None of these ministries are what they claim to be. Ministry of Love focuses on interrogation and torture. Ministry of Peace exists solely for the purpose of perpetuating war. Everyone must worship Big Brother, the eye in the sky that sees and hears everything via telescreens placed all over Oceania. The Ministry of Truth’s sole purpose is to destroy recorded history and to rewrite new history for consumption. The results of a war? Into the memory hole it goes and a new war is created.

Citizens are kept poor and hungry, are forced to work long laborious hours, and cannot even think a negative thought without the Thought Police breaking down their door. They are only allowed two minutes of hate a week, where all hate must be directed to one particular person. The joining of men and women can only be for procreation purposes, not as a result of desire. Children attend schools where they are taught spy tactics and are encouraged to turn their own parents in if the need should arise.

Everything goes sideways when Winston meets Julia. Could there be another person like him, who wants to fight the system? Could these people exist? Could they make a difference if they joined forces? These are all ridiculous thoughts and loosely concealed ones once Julia enters the picture.

Clandestine meetings can only go on for so long, and with so much risk. The way the story is told, you are on the edge of your seat every time they meet because Big Brother is everywhere and Julia’s lofty ideas about rebellion seem a little too perfect.

No one can be trusted which is why it’s so surprising when Winston befriends O’Brien. To Winston, O’Brien is the answer. O’Brien is the man who can save humanity. Winston bets everything on this.

Without completely ruining the ending for you, I’ll say that it’s impossible to read this story and interpret it in one way. It can go many different ways based on what stands out for you. Sayings, here and there, tiny hints and intentions tip you off and send you down a path of distrust. There are some aha moments but only when you compare the story to today’s politics.

I mean, if I thought that other party were big readers, I’d say they used 1984 as a playbook. Since they are going after books in schools, history, critical race theory and the like, it’s not hard to believe at all.

I read the final pages of this book four times and it can be interpreted two different ways. I won’t say which way I went with in case you all want to read it, but I do share my opinion in the read-along recap for Part 3.

1984 – Part 1
1984 – Part 2
1984 – Part 3

Source: Purchased
Disclosure: This post contains Bookshop.org affiliate links.