Overall rating: 5/5 Stars

“We hardly ever start at the beginning.”

Most people don’t look, really look, into art. So hardly anyone ever notices the three figures sitting on the pier of one of the most famous paintings in the world: The One of the Sea. But Louisa does. 

To her, it means something about the world, about her best friend Fish, about who she is. But it will never mean more to her than it does when she hears the real story behind it and the friends who helped the artist C. Jat to create it. 

Moving between the past and the present, we watch both as the painting comes to be and as it is unexpectedly placed into Louisa’s care. It is a journey on both ends, and neither of them start at the beginning. 

This book is the essence of friendship contained within some words on a page. It is the meaning of life, sentiment, ineffability. There is no summarizing a Fredrik Backman book if you’ve never read one. 

“And Ted has to forgive them, because in grief we are reminded that we're human beings. In life we might be enemies, but when faced with death, we see the truth: we are one species, all we have is each other, and where you go, I shall follow.”

The way he writes opens me up to all of human emotion. I feel everything as I read his work; from despair, to hope, to longing, to laughter at the unexpectedly funny parts, to warmth. 

"He used to say that art is coincidence.
A beautiful painting is the sum total of a person, what has happened to them, blessings and curses alike. Coincidences."

This book is not chronologically written in the most beautiful, human, raw, and real way possible. What is magical about this book is that it’s about the worst things that could happen to you, but really, it’s about kindness. 

"Okay. You can tell me the rest of it
now."
"The rest of what?"
"The rest of the whole long story!
About everything! About the competition and the painting and... everything. But it mustn't only be unhappy! It must also be a bit ... you know ... ordinary too."

This book is written in memories. A professor once told me that time is relative and we remember things being longer that had more of an impact on us. I was reminded of this constantly while reading because the smallest passages had the most profound effect on the characters and on me as I absorbed their feelings and lessons. 

Thank you for another beautiful and imperfect ride through the best and worst of us, Fredrick Backman. 

"It's cool that we happened at all.” 

Thank you to NetGalley for proving this ARC in exchange for an honest review.