My Grandmother Sends Her Regards and Apologises: From the bestselling author of A MAN CALLED OVE

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Trolls, dragons, kingdoms, magical treasures, Harry Potter, ice cream, cookies, beer, cinnamon buns, cloud animals, Star Wars, and more. While this hasn't caused me to drop my opinion of Backman, it made me realize a story needs to work on all levels and elements to truly move or impact me.

His characters in the first instance may come across as caricatures of ordinary people for comedic purposes, yet as the story progresses the reader comes to realise that there is far more to them than initially meets the eye. Several major themes are touched upon, including: it’s okay to be different; first impressions aren’t always accurate; your elders can teach you a lot; not all dreams should be discounted; young children often have the same fears and insecurities as adults; direct communication and understanding are vital; family does not have to share bloodlines. I don't want to wish away my time but I, for one, can not wait to have the opportunity to delve back into Backman's imaginative and incredibly funny mind. Nobody understood this bright child, not even the teachers and headmaster at school, where she was constantly bullied. There are many literary works that have been created by the authors with different types and different genres of literary works.However, the last half of the book I thought was strong narratively, things started to fall into place for me with the fairy tale device, and from that point on I was fully in. Her grandmother is seventy-seven years old and crazy—as in standing-on-the-balcony-firing-paintball-guns-at-strangers crazy. In this one, the fantasy took me out of the normal love I have for Backman's style and character development to the point I found myself skimming way too often. She would be introduced to the real people who were characters in the fairy tales, and who would open up a big world of possibilities to the seven-year-old heartbroken little girl. And they have to have happy endings, which is something that Elsa has decided completely on her own.

This work is a magnificent ode to humanity and the many virtues that guard it from losing its sheen. I appreciated the viewpoint of our precocious little protagonist at times, but most often found it frustrating. He possesses a deceptively easy style of narration but one is taken aback by the substance he packs in his one-liners. Creating fairy tale-metaphors for little Elsa, was her grandmother's way of teaching the hard realities of life in story form to the little girl without friends.It tells a story that is both wise and insightful, absurd and wondrous as it explores the themes of grief, love, difference, connection, regrets and forgiveness.