My Friends by Fredrik Backman is a moving novel about friendship, art, creativity, loss, and the people who shape us long after they are gone. The story follows Louisa, a young aspiring artist who becomes fascinated by three mysterious figures in a famous painting and sets out to uncover the story behind them. Her journey connects her to a group of teenagers whose friendship, struggles, and dreams ultimately become part of something much larger than themselves.

These My Friends book club discussion questions look at the novel’s characters, themes, art, friendship, creativity, grief, and the meaning of a happy ending. They are designed to help readers have a deeper conversation about My Friends by Fredrik Backman and work especially well for a book club discussion on Bookum, where readers can connect around great books!

Friendship, Belonging, and Connection

1 - What do you think brings the teenagers together on the pier, and why does that friendship become so important to each of them? Do you remember how your first or earliest friendships started?

2 - The characters come from difficult and complicated circumstances. How does their friendship give them something they cannot find at home?

3 - What does My Friends suggest about the difference between having people around you and truly feeling like you belong?

4 - Which friendship in the novel affected you the most, and what made that relationship feel authentic?

5 - The story suggests that the people we meet at one particular moment can influence the rest of our lives. Who do you think had the greatest lasting impact on Louisa?

6 - Do you think friendships formed during adolescence can shape who we become decades later? How does the novel explore that idea?

Art, Creativity, and The One of the Sea

7 - Why do you think Louisa becomes so determined to understand the three small figures in The One of the Sea?

8 - What makes a piece of art feel personal to someone even when they know nothing about the artist or the people depicted?

9 - The painting becomes a connection between different generations. What does it preserve that the characters themselves might otherwise have lost?

10 - How does the novel examine the idea that art can tell a story without explaining everything?

11 - Louisa is an aspiring artist herself. How does her relationship with the painting influence the way she thinks about her own creativity?

12 - Have you ever encountered a book, painting, song, photograph, or other work of art that made you want to know more about the people or story behind it?

Creativity, Fear, and Taking a Chance

13 - The characters struggle with the fear that they are not talented, capable, or important enough. Why do you think fear of failure can be so powerful for creative people?

14 - What does the novel say about creating something simply because it matters to you, rather than because it might lead to success or recognition?

15 - Which character takes the biggest creative or personal risk, and what does that risk reveal about them?

16 - How does the novel challenge the idea that you have to be "good enough" before you are allowed to pursue something you love?

17 - If you could give one character in My Friends advice about pursuing their dreams, who would you choose and what would you tell them?

18 - Do you think the novel ultimately celebrates talent, courage, persistence, or something else as the most important ingredient in creating a meaningful life?

Loss, Memory, and Finding Hope

19 - The story carries a strong sense of loss, but it is not defined entirely by sadness. How does Backman balance grief with humor, warmth, and hope?

20 - How does remembering someone change the way we understand them after they are gone?

21 - The novel investiages how people can continue to influence us even when they are no longer physically present. Who from the story do you think leaves the strongest legacy?

22 - What do you think the painting represents for the characters who know its history? Is it a memorial, a message, a work of art, or something more?

Louisa's Journey and the Meaning of a Happy Ending

23 - Louisa begins her journey wanting to understand the painting, but what does she ultimately discover about herself along the way?

24 - My Friends suggests that happy endings do not always look the way we initially imagine them. What does a "happy ending" mean by the end of the novel, and did your definition change while reading?

Final Book Club Question:
If you could preserve one memory, friendship, piece of art, or moment from your own life for someone else to discover 25 years from now, what would you choose and why?

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