My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry by Fredrik Backman
Granny’s Great Assignment
Elsa is seven years
old and she’s different. And because she’s different, she’s bullied, teased,
threatened, and beaten up on a regular basis.
The one person who connected with her and protected her the most was her
Granny who recently died. Granny
understood Elsa because she too was different. She was an eccentric woman who
played by her own rules and didn’t care if she was politically correct or not.
Now Elsa feels alone and abandoned in an imaginary world Granny created for
her. Before she passes away Granny asks Elsa to go on a treasure hunt—“a fairy
tale of marvels and a grand adventure.”[1]
She sends Elsa to deliver a letter of apology to someone. That leads to more
letters, and on her mission she learns more about the people to whom she delivers
the letters. She discovers that people
live behind false facades which hide the secrets of their past—including her
grandmother.
I liked this book
about acceptance and forgiveness. Elsa’s special bond with her grandmother was
touching. It pulled at the heart strings. But there were a few things that
threw me. The story itself brings up
many questions along the way. In the end
most things cinch together. However, I still felt a few items were unanswered and
a few more were unbelievable (though those could easily be overlooked). The biggest drawback for me were the imaginary
kingdoms. I had a hard time getting into the fantasy aspects of Elsa’s and
Granny’s private world. Those with better imaginations would probably
find that the best part of the book. My
mom loved fairy tales and fantasy. She loved getting lost in other worlds like that. I
think she would have loved Miamas, the princess, the Shadows, and Wolfheart.
For me, I think:
My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry is good.
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman is very,
very good.
This was a book club
selection and my members thought pretty much the same as me. While most liked the characters, almost everyone disliked the fantasy parts. In fact, a couple people didn't even finish the book. Those that did gave it a warmish though not whole-heartedly enthusiastic reception in the end
Happy reading,
Annette
[1]
Fredrik
Backman, My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell
You She’s Sorry (New York, Washington Square Press, 2015) 41.
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