Think Lovely Things about...My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry

Title - My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry

Author - Fredrik Backman

Number of pages - 372

Rating - 4.5/5

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Elsa’s biggest hero is her grandmother, who is a little on the crazy end of the scale and always tells the most wonderful stories about the ‘Land of the Almost Awake’. When she passes away, she sends Elsa on a treasure hunt during which she has to distribute letters in which her grandmother offers her apologies to people living in Elsa’s apartment complex. On this amazing journey she learns a lot about her grandmother’s life, about the history of the people around her, and most importantly, herself.

It is always surprising to see a book written from the point of view of a child classified as literature. However, My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry has more than earned its spot there. What initially drew me to the book was the original title and the beautiful cover, but there are many more things to love about the book.

The plot

The wonderful story is definitely a reason to pick up the book. The ‘Land of the Almost Awake’ is beautifully intertwined with Elsa’s journey to give the letters to the right people. The line between reality and stories is subtly blurred as characters from Elsa’s grandmother’s stories make an appearance in the ‘real world’ – or is it the other way around?

The characters

The characters in the book are a little too stereotypical, which is probably the book’s major flaw. Every single one of them (with the exception of our main characters, Elsa and her grandmother) can be described in a single word. In the book’s defense, this could be the result of the main character being only seven years old.

There is some depth in the characters (for example, a man that was driven mad by the horrors of war or an elderly couple who chooses to defend their daughter-in-law rather than their son despite motherly instincts) but this is only a fraction of what it could have been.

The writing

Fredrik Backman is quite skilled at certain aspects of writing a novel. He distributes information to the readers in a way that makes them want to finish the book in one sitting. He managed to give his main character a clear and slightly sceptic view of the world, I loved that Elsa asked the right questions at the right moments. The book was easy to read, but not simplistic. Despite the main character being a child, the readers are not treated as children. A job well done.

However there is one thing to remember.

Even if a character has bad grammar or bad spelling, even if that’s his or her thing, keep it in check. The mood in an emotional scene is absolutely ruined when a word is misspelled. It made me cringe instead of cry; not a good thing. If you read the book (which I really hope you will) you will know what I’m talking about.

All in all, I would recommend this book to anyone. It is a light read, but gives you something to think about.