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A review by thestorydoer
My Grandmother Sends Her Regards and Apologises by Fredrik Backman
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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? It's complicated
4.25
"My Grandmother Send Her Regards and Apologises" is Fredrick Backman's follow-up to his debut "A Man Called Ove" which is the only book I have ever thought of as perfect. And while not perfect, this book is a damn good follow-up.
The book follows a 7-year-old girl Elsa, and I must say, it is impressive to have the narration feel like the lens of a child, and not have it be incredibly annoying. This girl makes sense of the world through the fairy tales which her grandmother had given her as she grew up, and it permeates as the main narrative style throughout the entire book. It turns out all the fairy tales her grandmother had told, which seem fantastical, were based on real human beings.
And that's something I love about Fredrick Backman. He portrays the elderly people with flaws which feel immensely relatable, but also quite unique to the elderly. He leaves no character untouched, as each character feels so deeply layered, it's quite hard to keep track of.
Each story has its place in the story, and it's quite a talent to pack so much story into something digestible and not overly expositional. However, I'm afraid that because there is so much stuff, it's quite difficult to keep track of it all. So many stories are so intertwined, there are some occasions where a story could come up and it takes a couple backtracks to remember exactly which story the event is a part of. That, I believe, is the only flaw in this book. It's a major flaw, but it doesn't detract completely from the rest of the story. Because at the core of it, every sub-plot is a different expression of the same story. That's why each story feels like it belongs.
Overall, an excellent and beautifully written book which has a lot to say. So much, it'll probably need a re-read in the near future. 4.25/5
The book follows a 7-year-old girl Elsa, and I must say, it is impressive to have the narration feel like the lens of a child, and not have it be incredibly annoying. This girl makes sense of the world through the fairy tales which her grandmother had given her as she grew up, and it permeates as the main narrative style throughout the entire book. It turns out all the fairy tales her grandmother had told, which seem fantastical, were based on real human beings.
And that's something I love about Fredrick Backman. He portrays the elderly people with flaws which feel immensely relatable, but also quite unique to the elderly. He leaves no character untouched, as each character feels so deeply layered, it's quite hard to keep track of.
Each story has its place in the story, and it's quite a talent to pack so much story into something digestible and not overly expositional. However, I'm afraid that because there is so much stuff, it's quite difficult to keep track of it all. So many stories are so intertwined, there are some occasions where a story could come up and it takes a couple backtracks to remember exactly which story the event is a part of. That, I believe, is the only flaw in this book. It's a major flaw, but it doesn't detract completely from the rest of the story. Because at the core of it, every sub-plot is a different expression of the same story. That's why each story feels like it belongs.
Overall, an excellent and beautifully written book which has a lot to say. So much, it'll probably need a re-read in the near future. 4.25/5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, War, Stalking, and Death
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, and Child abuse