My Friends

My Friends by Fredrik Backman (2025), 434 pgs. 

Louisa wasn't looking for trouble when she got thrown out of the auction. She just wanted to see the painting, up close and in person, once before starting her new life. In the moments before she was kicked out, though, Louisa saw more of the painting than she ever had in the small postcard version of it she'd kept with her in the foster home. She had always focused on the three friends in the picture, somewhat hidden from most viewers, but now she could see the tiny, intricate details of it all in full display. Somehow, getting thrown out ends up setting Louisa on a journey across the country where she learns about the summer portrayed in the famous painting, and the group of friends whose love made it possible.

This is a story about believing in people, even when you don't much believe in yourself. It is about friendship and love sustaining against all odds. It is about art, and it is about grief, and it is about connecting with others. It is a funny, sad, hopeful tale of the summer that created a painting and the friendship which formed twenty five years later because of that painting. Fredrik Backman does a great job of balancing deep, introspective, heavy moments with light-hearted, silly jokes. He writes a beautiful story which paints a beautiful picture.

A Better Man

A Better Man by Louise Penny (2019), 437 pgs. 

A flood is a curious thing; at times it may wash away sins of the past, or it may just deposit them right back to the shore. In the midst of a flood which threatens the smallest Quebecois townships, including beloved Three Pines, Chief Inspector Gamache returns to work, sharing the role of head of homicide with his right-hand man, Chief Inspector Beauvoir. As the two Chief Inspectors navigate their new power dynamic, they receive a plea from a distressed father whose daughter has gone missing. It is a race against time and nature to find out what happened to this woman, and old sins and feelings are bubbling up. The flood will leave nothing untouched.

This fifteenth novel in Louise Penny's Three Pines series is a bit different in a few ways. The investigative team that we know and love takes a more personal approach to this case (maybe too personal). A few different ideas are weaved together using social media, some of which are better fleshed out than others. Secondary story lines with old characters aren't introduced as smoothly as they have been. These differences from previous books in the series result in a Three Pines story that does not feel like Three Pines at all. Everyone we have come to know as smart and capable does something completely out of character--especially many of the women in this book, who are particularly misrepresented. Not my favorite book in the series so far

 

Big Little Lies

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty (2014) 458 pages

Early on we learn that there has been a death at a grade school trivia night fundraiser. The police are investigating it as a murder. Then the story shifts back in time six months to when Jane, a young single mother new to the area meets Madeline, a mother of a teenager and two grade school children, and Celeste, the quiet, elegant mother of twins, married to an extremely rich man. The parents of the school's children become divided over an incident during the kindergarten orientation, in which a child, Ziggy, is accused of hurting the daughter of a rich, influential parent. Madeline and Celeste side with Jane (Ziggy's mother) while the other side starts a petition to oust Ziggy from the school. Ziggy is a sweet child, but he refuses to talk about the incident, which has his mother wondering about whether he might indeed be responsible.

Meanwhile, all sorts of other things are happening: Madeline's teenage daughter is keeping Madeline's emotions all over the place. We learn about how Jane became pregnant and why Ziggy's father is not in his life. Most prominently is a deep look into the abusive relationship between Celeste and her husband as they continue to outwardly portray the perfect couple.

As I read, I couldn't help but obsess about the murder, with so many unknowns. The points of view from several different people who attended the trivia night are inserted at the end of many of the chapters, reminding me of the interview style used in the TV show The Office. By seeing their statements, we have clues‒but not nearly enough‒about who didn't die. But who DID die?! Very fast-paced book, entertaining even though it deals with serious subjects. I can see why this book was chosen for the HBO miniseries with its likable characters (as well as unlikable ones), mystery and intrigues.