Thursday, May 11, 2017

My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman


First Line: Every seven-year-old needs a superhero.

Seven-year-old Elsa's seventy-seven-year-old grandmother is her best and only friend. At night, the little girl takes refuge in her grandmother's stories because in the Land-of-Almost-Awake and the Kingdom of Miamas, everyone is different and no one needs to be normal.

When Elsa's grandmother dies, she leaves behind a series of letters apologizing to people she has wronged, and when Elsa begins to deliver them, her adventure begins.

Now that some time has elapsed since I read this book, I'm able to look upon it more charitably. I loved A Man Called Ove, and I think that made my expectations of this book much too high. 

The two main characters-- Elsa and her grandmother-- are characters who can tug at your heartstrings. Elsa is scary smart for a seven-year-old, and at times she's very funny. Her grandmother is known for speaking her mind and doing crazy things like standing on the balcony and shooting paintball guns at passing strangers. Even though she could be very funny, I never lost sight of the fact that the old lady would be a real pain in the neck to deal with. If I represented the middle generation between these two, I'd probably be escorted briskly (and gently) to the nearest rest home. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200.

What I never expected was the fact that this book very quickly became a chore to read. It needed editing and tightening (beginning with the unwieldy title) because the gradual unfolding of key elements of the plot was much, much too gradual. I almost abandoned the book several times, but I just couldn't. I had to know if life was going to be happier for Elsa. So... I found Backman's book to have a great idea that was poorly executed-- and this has made me leery of reading his next book.


My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman
Translated from the Swedish by Henning Koch.
ISBN: 9781501115066
Atria Books © 2015
Hardcover, 384 pages

Fiction, Standalone
Rating: D+
Source: Paperback Swap 


 

6 comments:

  1. I think this just goes to show, Cathy, how important editing really is. The premise, the characters, all of that sound great. But if it's not edited, and doesn't move along at a solid pace, I can see how you'd think it dragged.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I just finished reading another book that was a chore due to little-to-no proofreading and the need for editing and tightening. Argh!

      Delete
  2. I was in the minority on this one. I just could not take to it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. At least you and I are not alone in our opinion, Mystica!

      Delete
  3. I'm on the waiting list for this at the library. I liked Ove, but it was slow going at first, I thought oh no, not another cranky old man. But by the end I really liked it, not loved, but liked,

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have a fondness for cranky old men, and that probably helped me fall into the story much quicker. I've dealt with many a cranky old man, and there's always a reason for it-- not that I want to find out what it is all the time! :-)

      Delete

Thank you for taking the time to make a comment. I really appreciate it!