Synopsis

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 strangers life twenty-five years later… * ONE OF GOODREADS READERS’ MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS OF 2025 *You have to take life for granted, the artist thinks, the whole thing: sunrises and slow Sunday mornings andwater balloons and another persons breath against your neck. Thats 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 dont even notice them. Most people think its 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 Louisas 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 paintings 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 dont always take the form we expect.Readers’ praise for Fredrik Backman . . . ‘Fredrik Bachman is a genius writer.’ ‘Fredrik Backman is one of my favourite authors … It’s almost sad to reach the ends of his books and I look forward to reading more of his brilliant work.’ ‘I cannot imagine how Mr Backman knows so much about life, people and what really matters. Read all of his books!’ ‘Backman writes about the best and worst of us all. Incredible insights and food for thought. Both terrifying and exhilarating in that he makes you feel so much.’ ‘What a brilliantwriter.’