This was actually my first Fredrik Backman but quite a few fellow Cannonballers mentioned this novel during one of the Zoom meet ups so I decided it was time to give him a shot (and then got distracted by other books).
The story explores two timelines, 25 years apart. The present or later timeline (it’s a bit vague on specifics that would tie either timeline to a specific decade so when I say present, that’s just for simplicity) focuses on Louisa, a teen in foster care who is about to turn 18. Her favorite painting is up for auction in her town and this is her once in a lifetime opportunity to see it in person. While the rich art collectors see the sea of the title, it has inspired Louisa to draw herself, and she sees the friendship and pain and laughter behind the canvas.
The other timeline focuses on the summer 25 years before when the Artist painted the artwork that started it all. It’s a familiar story – whether from movies like Sleepers or Stand by Me or countless others – that final perfect summer where everything changed, the transition from childhood to adulthood, the bond of the losers from difficult homes with the one friend member that has a gift and is going to make it out, somehow.
In the present day, Louisa’s actions at the auction lead to a run in with the dying Artist, and then the plot of the rest of the story unfolds as Ted finds Louisa to grant a dying man’s last wish. As Ted reminisces and reflects on his friends and that summer as he griefs the Artist’s death, he shares the story with Louisa who is herself dealing with the loss of her person.
A little bit spoilery but in vague terms:
I enjoyed the novel though I am unsure how I feel about the ending. I actually appreciated where everyone had ended up but the novel had done so much foreshadowing about the tragic events of the summer that it felt a bit like Backman pulled his punch. As I said, I didn’t mind where it ended up (and actually kind of liked it) but wonder if it may have been a bit anticlimactic from a plotting perspective and if perhaps it would have worked better with less tragic foreshadowing, or if following through would have made the novel even more poignant. Not that there isn’t something to be said about the slightly more ordinary ending that shows how sometimes, things change or move on in a more mundane way.