Idk if we’re doing the monthly forum challenge this month, but I’m here with two recommendations, regardless. 

I read my grandmother asked me to tell you she’s sorry by Frederik Backman recently, and ooh boy…ooh boy…I never expected to be so emotionally wrecked by this little story. 

Synopsis: Elsa’s different from most people, but that is her superpower. Her best friend is her Granny, who is also different. Sadly, Elsa’s Granny dies and leaves behind a slew of letters for Elsa to deliver to all the people her Granny has wronged over the years. The people end up being her neighbors in a house of shared flats. 

As Elsa sets out on this quest, she recalls the fantastic fairytales her grandmother told her, and comes to realize that they have more in common with the people who’ve lived around her, her entire life, than she ever dreamed imaginable.

Reasons you need to read this: Ok, so I am going to TRY to remain calm as I tell you why I loved this book. But it’s hard because there is a certain character who absolutely broke my heart into a million pieces after I hated her for quite a while. Which speaks to Backman’s absolute skill at reminding us all to be a little less cynical and judgmental about others. 

I mean, the amount of hate that builds up around the character of Britt-Marie is eye roll worthy. Literally, I was rolling my eyes whenever Britt-Marie made an entrance on the page and muttering “fucking Britt-Marie.” UNTIL. UNTIL. She broke my damn heart. 

I can’t say much more about the circumstances regarding her without spoiling the story. But I can say that the magical thing about books like my grandmother asked me to tell you she’s sorry, is that you can live around someone your entire life, you can draw assumptions about who you think they are, but really, you only see what they want you to see about them. 

Which sort of goes back to the saying of “you don’t know what goes on behind closed doors.” Because you don’t. And damn if it wasn’t a slap in the face kind of reminder to me about how cynical I have become. And how quick I am to judge other people.

Britt-Marie is a side character in this story, but her role in the story is powerful. She serves as the “living reminder,” of who the grandmother was on the outside. But we don’t really know that Britt-Marie is very similar to the grandmother in some ways “on the inside,” until the end of the novel and beyond. 

Anyway, Britt-Marie is noticeable (*cries* because she doesn’t think she is) and so meaningful that Backman went on to write Britt-Marie Was Here, a sort of sequel that focuses on her life post-my grandmother…

I won’t get too deep into the woods about this book, because again, spoilers, but this is a deep dive into who she was before, during, and after, my grandmother. 

If you end up loving Britt-Marie in my grandmother… you’ll love her even more in Britt-Marie Was Here! Told with Britt-Marie’s wry sense of humor, a dose (or several) of heartbreak as she reflects on all she’s done (and not done) with her life, it was a lovely, emotive novel. 

I highly recommend both books if you are looking for literary fiction reads. I will say that Backman has a jumpy sort of way of storytelling, which I think is more jarring in my grandmother asked me to tell you she’s sorry than in Britt-Marie but if you can just hang on until the storylines converge (about halfway through), it definitely pays off. 
Also, don’t mind me, writing a series of flash fictions involving Britt-Marie’s life journey. Shamelessly plugging my new story on the archives: Her Name Is Britt-Marie, in case anyone wants to flail about her with me. 

 Courtney