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

challenging emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She’s Sorry by Fredrik Backman was cute, but not my favorite Backman book. I really liked the characters and the adventure, but I feel like the narration wasn’t quite right. Our main character felt both older and younger than she was, and while kids are obviously all over the place developmentally, it felt a little too inconsistent. I also felt like the fantasy world aspect, though believable, was a little confusing. It was a lot to remember throughout the book and while I liked the grand nature of it (since it matched the Grandmother’s personality) it made reading those moments a little difficult. I did like the way the fantasy world between Elsa and her grandmother extrapolated to the other members of their building to help piece together what it was Granny wanted Elsa to learn. I really liked the heart of the story, even though Elsa’s narration was a bit hard to follow. It really addressed the complexities of life and death and what it means to fall somewhere in between. Though different from Backman’s other novels stylistically, the “faith in humanity” messaging that I love so much in his writing was still present and forefront. Backman has a way of turning difficult topics into digestible stories, that I think speaks to his understanding of human nature. He’s certainly one of my favorite authors at this point, and I can’t wait for my next Backman read.
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