And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer / The Deal of a Lifetime

This is a sweet little story you can read in about an hour that lovingly describes a slow decline into dementia and its impact on a man’s family. Both tragic AND inspirational.

It’s quite amazing what the author has managed to capture in such a short piece. Grandpa’s fear after the initial diagnosis, explaining what’s going to happen to his beloved grandson, how grandpa’s relationships with both son and grandson evolve as the disease advances, and how big a role love plays all along. The grandfather and grandson Noah are particularly endearing characters and the read is surprisingly emotional. Yes, I cried at the end.

Like all the Backman books I’ve read, this is a winner.

When you love someone, and disease takes their mind before death does, you lose them over and over again, before the final lose (after which you lose them over and over again in your heart and memory.) It's hard enough as an adult to travel the journey with a loved one, but if you have children traveling with you, too, it's a different world. How do you explain that kind of loss, that death by forgetting, to a child, and yet manage to keep love alive and growing? From the notes in this novella, I suspect this is how Fredrik Backman worked out how he could do so. A beautiful little book.

I am not an overly sentimental person. I don't cry easily. And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer was one of the most beautiful, touching, incredible books I've ever read. I loved it so much I read it twice in one evening. It's a novella--very short--but it has more truth in it than any book I've ever read. In it I found my mother, my relationship with my husband and my son, everyone I've ever loved deeply. I found my own fears about growing old, and the truths about what it would be like. It is calm acceptance and utter wonder at the process we go through in living. My husband read it in the same evening and was as deeply moved by it as I was. I will read this book over and over again.

Well, dammit, I was warned! I read the reviews and said, "I can take it." Sure, my mom's husband has dementia and my mom's memory is struggling....but I can take it! After all I'm the cynical one. I don't even like stories like this, the ones that "remind us of important truths." It's probably twee. I can take it.

I couldn't take it. I am crying like my heart is breaking. Cause it kinda is.

Funny thing though, I needed this. I've been feeling stressed and petty and angry about life's circumstances and losing sight of what's really happening. Bah! Being human is hard. But to hear Fredrik Backman tell it, it's kinda magical too.

Note: If A Man Called Ove even half this moving, I'd best not listen while driving.

Scribd E-book
January show more 2022
Shorts / heartbreaker

#BeatTheBacklog show less

This is a sweet little story you can read in about an hour that lovingly describes a slow decline into dementia and its impact on a man’s family. Both tragic AND inspirational.

It’s quite amazing what the author has managed to capture in such a short piece. Grandpa’s fear after the initial diagnosis, explaining what’s going to happen to his beloved grandson, how grandpa’s relationships with both son and grandson evolve as the disease advances, and how big a role love plays all along. The grandfather and grandson Noah are particularly endearing characters and the read is surprisingly emotional. Yes, I cried at the end.

Like all the Backman books I’ve read, this is a winner.

Alltså får jag skylla på att jag är fett sleep deprived den här veckan? Varför skulle jag annars tänka att det här var en rimlig bok att ta med och läsa på vägen till jobbet? Liksom, har jag nånsin läst en bok av Fredrik Backman som inte fått mig att gråta? (Jag var på landet med mina föräldrar när jag läste ut "Min mormor hälsar..." och när jag hade typ femtio sidor kvar drog jag mig tillbaka till mitt rum för att få läsa ifred) Och trodde jag, baserat på baksidestexten, att den här boken skulle vara ett undantag? Nope. Ändå verkade det heeeelt rimligt att ta sig an den här boken på bussen. Så nu sitter jag här och försöker låtsas som att jag bara är väldigt förkyld (tur att det är april i alla show more fall) och hoppas att jag inte fuckat upp sminket alldeles för mycket.

Så om ni ska läsa den här boken (vilket ni borde) gör det en söndagsmorgon när ni inte behöver lämna sängen förrän ni är redo och där ingen annan klan se dig. show less

And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer by Fredrik Backman is a 2016 Atria Books publication.

Beautifully written, heartrending novella-

It’s an awful thing to miss someone who’s still here.

How to say goodbye when your mind wears out before your body does? Grandpa feels an urgency to explain things to his beloved grandson, but is finding it to be a difficult, bittersweet task.

Yet, wiser than his years, the grandson understands, and patiently, though at times fearful, helps his grandfather through the hazy memories of a life filled with great love and sad regrets.

Isn’t that the best time of all life’s ages, and old man thinks as he looks at his grandchild. When a boy is just big enough to know how the world works, but show more still young enough to refuse to accept it.

I have had this on my ‘wish list’ at the library for a couple of years. Yes, years! While I could have put the book on a hold, the wait time was so long, I decided to put other books, with a shorter wait time on hold first, which left this treasure languishing on my list for far too long.

To my delight, this past weekend, while I was cleaning up my wish list, I noticed this book was ‘available now’. I checked it out right on the spot, because, I was afraid if I didn’t, I’d miss my chance.

However, it did cross my mind that, under the circumstances, with all the grief everyone is trying to cope with right now, emotionally speaking, this might not be the best time to read this story- because let’s face it- it is a very sad little book.

However, there is so much life, humor, warmth, and a whole lot of heart packed into this short story- and it is a story that resonates no matter where you are in life or what challenges you are facing.

I would rather be old than a grown-up. All grown-ups are angry, it’s just children and old people who laugh

There is also a lot of wisdom in these pages- although, at times these messages are overpowered by the strong emotions pulling at you, about life, memories, and love.

So read this one slowly, let all the nuances develop and prepare yourself mentally for the heartbreak, but also be ready to accept, honor and keep the magic that exist here too.

The writing is simply gorgeous, and so full of heartfelt emotions, I can’t fathom anyone making it to the end of this story with dry eyes….

5 stars show less