Reviews with content warning for Addiction - My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry

P L O T
Elsa is tasked with distributing apology letters from her late grandmother. The tone is definitely sad, though the story is not about loss but rather about unexpected connections when you get to know someone past face value.

T H E G O O D & T H E B A D
“It’s been a long time since I had such an amazing reading experience. You almost never do, once you grow up, things are at their peak when you’re a child and then it’s all downhill from there… well… because of the cynicism, I suppose. I just wanted to thank you for reminding me of how things used to be.”

I highlighted several quotes and found the book to be a beautiful story. However, I'm not sure if I could claim I enjoyed it because of the emotional tone. The nostalgic feeling Elsa brought to the story was uplifting, her belief in fantastic ideas and the exciting and creative things her Granny came up with to make her feel special, but it also made me feel sad. It reminded me of the fear of being misunderstood and the fear of losing the few people who truly understand you. There is no doubt that the book was wonderful, but it was also a challenging read emotionally.

Content Warnings

anniebg's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

Content Warnings

_chrstnlvly's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Death's greatest power is not that it can make people die, but that it can make people want to stop living.

Backman, as always, knows how to tap into human emotions and explore humanity. What I appreciate most about his writing is his ability to take a simple truth and delve into it to the extent that it prompts a different perspective, making us recognize the significance of that truth. Kudos to Backman (and the translator!) for always knowing how to articulate the essence of humanity.

I enjoyed reading "My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry" (in my opinion, Backman can do no wrong). However, I did notice one flaw that bothered me a little: Elsa, who is almost 8 years old, sometimes seemed unusually mature for her age. The only thing that reminded me that she is still a child was her fascination with the Land-of-Almost-Awake. If it weren't for her interest in this imaginary world, she would come across as someone in her teens who simply enjoys escaping reality by creating a different world in her mind.

However, this book reminded me that being different is not wrong. You should not allow society to bring you down simply because you are different.

As with any of Backman's books, he once again reminded me of the importance of kindness. It serves as a reminder that we never truly know the struggles and experiences that others are going through. We should always keep in mind that even the people we may dislike have their own challenges and reasons for behaving the way they do.

Content Warnings

sea_tea_books's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring sad tense

4.0

So much trauma, blanketed by comedy and fantasy, told from the perspective of a young girl.
It was interesting how each character evolved, their backstories slowly unraveled in bits and pieces, through stories and fairy tales.

[Audiobook: I thoroughly enjoyed Joan Walker's narration of the audiobook. I probably would have DNF if it weren't for her storytelling.]

My heart broke when the wurse died. 💔😭

Content Warnings

suzydunk's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

bookish_optimist's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

I really enjoyed this book more than expected. A journey through the loss of a loved one with a unique twist.

Content Warnings

ridesthesun's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Oh this was just gorgeous 🥺🥺 this narrative style is so well done; everything is tied together and only reveiled a layer at a time, but the reader is lead through the revelations so gently that it feels like you're living along with the characters, finding things out and making sense of the world right alongside Elsa. Community and hope and family and forgiveness 🥺

No one's all shit, and no one's all not-shit

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