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My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She's Sorry by Frederik Backman

"A unique way of learning about a person's past and also how all our lives intersect with one another, told in true, heartfelt, emotional, Backman style." 
3 Stars
Pros: Has the same light-hearted but deep felt empathy that Backman brings to all his stories/Learning more about the Grandmother through Els's adventure in delivering her letters is a unique and touching way of going about it.
Cons: The protagonist, Elsa, is a 7 year old, so the narrative has a tendency to be a bit scattered.

Full Review:
Granny is Elsa's best friend. She's messy, disorganized and doesn't put with anyones BS. She's the only friend Elsa has since the others kids at school torment her. And so any minute that she gets to spend with Granny is an adventure. But the biggest and most heartfelt adventure happens when Granny passes away and leaves Elsa with the task of delivering letters to people, explaining to them that she's sorry.

The truth about Elsa's grandmother starts into focus as Elsa delivers the letters and we learn that she may have been a great Grandmother but she wasn't the best mom. Elsa is angry at her Grandmother for being away so often when her Mother was growing up, even though Elsa's mother tries to explain that it wasn't out of meanness. Her mother was a doctor and traveled around the world saving lives. But Elsa is still angry with her Grandmother and as she continues in her adventure of delivering the letters, she hopes that the last person her Grandmother will apologize to is her Mother.

Protected in her quest by a Monster (a stranger with OCD) and a Wurse, a creature from her Grandmother's make believe world of the Land of Almost-Awake (in reality it's just a really big dog), Elsa continues in her quest with determination and curiosity. And as the story unfolds and we learn more about Elsa's grandmother, we also learn more about the people in the building in which Elsa lives.

As with all of Backman's books, the narrative is so wrapped up in all the characters that there is no single character that stands out. Though Elsa is the protagonist, she is simply another character is a vast ensemble and if you were to take one of the characters away, it would all fall apart.

This was a quick, heartfelt read that left me feeling both happy and sad at the same time. Backman has a wonderful knack for making the reader feel included, as if he's pulled you into his own world and made you a part of it. And when the story is done you find yourself feeling rather lost and wishing it could go on forever. And though this wasn't my favorite of his novels, it was still emotional and deep and it also led up to the events of Britt-Marie was here, which was an interesting bit of information to learn after the fact.

I would recommend this book to anyone who's already a fan of Backman and also to anyone who likes stories that are told in parts, pieced together intricately bit by bit and as the reader, you're brought along for the ride and you can't guess how it will all end until the protagonist figures it out as well.

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