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nellyrigg_ 's review for:
And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer
by Fredrik Backman
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
I wanted a short book to read for a comics project I'm working on, which has a quick turnaround. This was the first I found after a quick scout around, and fit the bill of what I needed- a descriptive pov of living with dementia, which visualises the inside of one's mind rather than just stating the behaviours from an outside perspective.
This is a novella, the perfect amount to digest in one sitting, but with a story that stays with you much longer. As someone who, like the boy, grew up surrounded by elderly relatives with Alzheimer's/ dementia, I really resonated with the way Backman writes the reactions from the characters around Grandpa (the sufferer). However, I picked this book up for a different reason- to get a refresh on the perspective OF the sufferer, which Backman writes marvellously. The metaphors, allegories, imagery and descriptions are beautiful and so vivid, whilst also being accessible for people to understand how the affected brain FEELS for the sufferer; Backman places memories of people in Grandpa's brain ('mind palace', if you will), to show how it impacts the people around him too, their perceptions of how the lines between reality and fractured memories blur into a disorienting storm. I think the use of the Pathetic Fallacy was clever yet so simple to understand the states of Grandpa's brain during his 'episodes'.
This is a novella, the perfect amount to digest in one sitting, but with a story that stays with you much longer. As someone who, like the boy, grew up surrounded by elderly relatives with Alzheimer's/ dementia, I really resonated with the way Backman writes the reactions from the characters around Grandpa (the sufferer). However, I picked this book up for a different reason- to get a refresh on the perspective OF the sufferer, which Backman writes marvellously. The metaphors, allegories, imagery and descriptions are beautiful and so vivid, whilst also being accessible for people to understand how the affected brain FEELS for the sufferer; Backman places memories of people in Grandpa's brain ('mind palace', if you will), to show how it impacts the people around him too, their perceptions of how the lines between reality and fractured memories blur into a disorienting storm. I think the use of the Pathetic Fallacy was clever yet so simple to understand the states of Grandpa's brain during his 'episodes'.
This book had me in tears. Backman writes PEOPLE, family and feelings with so much empathy, compassion and love. Please read this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dementia, Grief
Moderate: Death, Death of parent
Minor: Blood