And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer

Grandpa and Noah are sitting on a bench in a square that keeps getting smaller every day. The square is strange but also familiar, full of the odds and ends that have made up their lives: Grandpa’s work desk, the stuffed dragon that Grandpa once gave to Noah, the sweet-smelling hyacinths that Grandma loved to grow in her garden.

As they wait together on the bench, they tell jokes and discuss their shared love of mathematics. Grandpa recalls what it was like to fall in love with his wife, what it was like to lose her. She’s as real to him now as the first day he met her, but he dreads the day when he won’t remember her.

Sometimes Grandpa sits on the bench next to Ted, Noah’s father—Ted who never liked math, prefers writing and playing guitar, and has waited his entire life for his father to have time for him, to accept him. But in their love of Noah, they have found a common bond.

Grandpa, Grandma, Ted, and Noah all meet here, in this peculiar space that is growing dimmer and more confusing all the time. And here is where they will learn to say goodbye, the scent of hyacinths in the air, nothing to fear. This little book with a big message is certain to be treasured for generations to come.

I almost feel bad reviewing Mr. Backman's work, because I don't think anything with ever live up to A Man Called Ove for me.  But I can say, that I enjoyed this novella for what it was, a story that was not really meant to be heard about a very personal family struggle.  I have never had anyone close to me diagnosed with the illness the main character is fighting, but it really tugged at my heart.  I felt drawn in and invested in such a short amount of time.  I ached for him and his family during moments of fog and celebrated when memories were remembered and cherished.  At this point, Fredrik Backman is an author that I will automatically read whatever he writes.  He tells a simple story, in a beautiful way, which in often rare.     

  * I received this book from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review *