The Wisdom of a Child
I recently finished the novel My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman. My eyes drifted across this title several times as it appeared on best-seller list in The Boston Globe each Sunday, but it took me a while to finally pick the book up at my local library. The reason being that after I finished another novel, Rabbit Cake by Annie Hartnett, that is told through the perspective of a child, I wanted to read another book which is similar because this narrative point of view was not only amusing and uplifting, but also inspiring and refreshing.
My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry follows Elsa as she completes the "treasure-hunt" her Granny left for her to complete in her will. This will takes Elsa on a crazy, risky, and meaningful adventure throughout her apartment building, as she discovers the stories of each of her neighbors, as well as, through Miamas and the Land-of-Almost-Awake which is the dreamland her Granny created for Elsa, among others. Backman's writing is hilarious, real, and intellectual all at the same time. There is satisfaction in how the fairy tales Granny told Elsa are based off of the lives of her neighbors and even her mother and her childhood friend. Additionally, there are many Harry Potter references which I appreciated as an avid fan of J.K. Rowling.
Despite what one might think about following the story of an almost eight-year-old, this book is a perfect example of childhood innocence and how this innocence so often leads to the sometimes happy sometimes brutal truth that oftentimes only children can find a way to discover. Refreshing in this perspective as Elsa "says it as it is" to borrow that term.
While I laughed out many times while making my way through this novel, there were several times when I was on the verge of tears and my heart was aching for the characters. In particular the reader feels great sympathy - and perhaps empathy- for Elsa who is constantly tormented and bullied at school, leaving her with no friends. Even though Elsa's school environment is not the safe and nourishing atmosphere every child should have, her Granny makes up for this unfortunate circumstance and for that every reader thinks of that person in their life that does the same for them - whether that be their own grandmother or someone else close to them.
Due to the various topics touched upon in this book - death, grief, mourning, forgiveness, childhood, friendship, love, family, heartbreak - it is hard to believe that all of these themes are present in a seven-year-old's world. Perhaps children are wiser than most people give them credit for. Perhaps they understand the truth more than most adults. Perhaps we should listen to them more often. Perhaps we should be more like children every once and a while - it couldn't hurt.
My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry follows Elsa as she completes the "treasure-hunt" her Granny left for her to complete in her will. This will takes Elsa on a crazy, risky, and meaningful adventure throughout her apartment building, as she discovers the stories of each of her neighbors, as well as, through Miamas and the Land-of-Almost-Awake which is the dreamland her Granny created for Elsa, among others. Backman's writing is hilarious, real, and intellectual all at the same time. There is satisfaction in how the fairy tales Granny told Elsa are based off of the lives of her neighbors and even her mother and her childhood friend. Additionally, there are many Harry Potter references which I appreciated as an avid fan of J.K. Rowling.
Despite what one might think about following the story of an almost eight-year-old, this book is a perfect example of childhood innocence and how this innocence so often leads to the sometimes happy sometimes brutal truth that oftentimes only children can find a way to discover. Refreshing in this perspective as Elsa "says it as it is" to borrow that term.
While I laughed out many times while making my way through this novel, there were several times when I was on the verge of tears and my heart was aching for the characters. In particular the reader feels great sympathy - and perhaps empathy- for Elsa who is constantly tormented and bullied at school, leaving her with no friends. Even though Elsa's school environment is not the safe and nourishing atmosphere every child should have, her Granny makes up for this unfortunate circumstance and for that every reader thinks of that person in their life that does the same for them - whether that be their own grandmother or someone else close to them.
Due to the various topics touched upon in this book - death, grief, mourning, forgiveness, childhood, friendship, love, family, heartbreak - it is hard to believe that all of these themes are present in a seven-year-old's world. Perhaps children are wiser than most people give them credit for. Perhaps they understand the truth more than most adults. Perhaps we should listen to them more often. Perhaps we should be more like children every once and a while - it couldn't hurt.
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