This delightful, fanciful story, first written in Swedish, had me laughing out loud, eyes filling with tears, and returning to magical thinking. If this story tended to plod, that drag would only have been through the grief of a child trying to make sense of all she has lived and lost in her seven almost eight years of age. Elsa has lost her beloved Granny to cancer, and this Granny was a wildly eccentric Granny! But Elsa’s was not the only grief. Told in the third person, this story is from Elsa’s perspective. Elsa, a precocious child relies on Wikipedia, computers and cell phones and is partial to her Gryffindor scarf and Harry Potter. She lives in a world of adults, superheroes and all of their problems and superpowers. Her only friend is a wurse who could be a real dog, or may only be Elsa’s imaginary friend. In discussion today at book group, there was no consensus about the reality of this wurse. This writer believes the wurse was a little of both!
Living in a small apartment building - also known as the castle, there is a fascinating cast of characters living in their own suites. Each, including Elsa’s mum, has experienced their own life struggles that created very different personalities. Some of the life struggles are pretty intense. Swedish author, Frederik Backman has very successfully described each character showing us their quirks and eccentricities, while also showing us their hearts. Elsa is the central character, but her Granny is with her throughout the story because of the strong relationship they had enjoyed. Granny told Elsa of the five kingdoms of Miamas in the Land-of-Almost-Awake. Each kingdom was peopled by and run opposite to the real world. Elsa learns more about the truths of these kingdoms as the story develops. This Land-of-Almost-Awake is really based on the people of Elsa’s world and, as Elsa says ‘Granny nicked that from…..’ other well known stories. Before Granny dies, she gives Elsa a mission: “tomorrow I’m going to send you on the biggest treasure hunt you’ve ever seen, my brave little knight.” This treasure hunt is a series of letters to be delivered that will reveal the many secrets of Granny and residents of the castle. Elsa will learn who and where her safety lies now that Granny is gone. Elsa’s stubborn determination is her journey - the treasure hunt - that Granny has sent her on.
“the best stories are never completely realistic and never entirely made-up”
~ Frederik Backman, Grandmother Sends Her Regards & apologizes
Title: My Grandmother Sends Her Regards and apologizes
Author: Frederik Backman
Publisher: Sceptre
Copyright 2015
Translation by Henning Koch 2015
Publication Date: 2016
Format: Soft Cover
ISBN: 978 1 473 62684 3 Paperback
ISBN: 978 1 444 77586 0 eBook
Type: Fiction
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