In My Grandmother Asked me to Tell You She's Sorry, Backman weaves a creative tapestry of the ordinary together with the extraordinary. If you enjoy fairytales and enjoy the refreshing way in which children view the world then you will enjoy this read - it is adult fiction but allows us a glimpse into fairytales we enjoyed when we were younger as well. Elsa comes to realise how each individual was a part of her grandmother's story and how each in their way is a friend to Elsa even when it may not appear so at the beginning. This is a beautiful story of flawed people and the good that can be found when one takes the time to look. She's so smart and astute that you sometimes forget she's only seven until we see the insecurities and vulnerabilities of a seven year old dealing with her parents' divorce, confronting grief and death and her anxiety over having a half brother or sister and fear that she won't be loved as much .

It struck me, towards the end, that this is a much better less-pathologised version of The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time.For me, it hits close to home, as the main character, Elsa, reminds me of our girls, including the loss of my Mom at a young age.

It's not a fantasy book, but at least 50% of the story is based on metaphors and allegories where Backman tells us about the relationships of a kooky cast of characters who share residence in a large building full of apartments.

o que para muita gente pode ser uma leitura "cheia de coisa", pra mim foi como revisitar muitos dos melhores anos da minha vida, porque neles eu volto a passar tardes e noites na casa da minha vózinha, sem saber quando um assunto começava e outro terminava, rindo de qualquer coisa e criando um mundo nosso muito melhor do que aquele que já tínhamos. This, of course, sets her up for a great deal of bullying at school, and causes her mother a good deal of exasperation at times. Things My Son Needs to Know About the World, his first work of non-fiction, will be released in the US in May 2019. While Elsa's vocabulary is quite skillful, and her ways of dealing with people are more mature than most adults I know, the short and terse structure at times overwhelmed the plot for me. The Kingdom of Miamas I swear sounded to me like Myalis, which sounds like a prescription drug for erectile dysfunction in my non-fantasy world.