Fredrik Backman, the Swedish author best known for his book "A Man Called Ove", has a knack for writing about the lives of ordinary people with compassion and humor. "Heartwarming" is a good descriptor for the stories Backman tells whether his protagonist is an old man, a child, or a middle-aged woman and whether the plot revolves around a hockey game, a robbery or an apartment building. Most of all, Backman writes about community and how the complex web of our relationships illuminate our lives.
"My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry" is the story of a lonely seven-year-old girl, Elsa, whose only friend and companion is her eccentric grandmother. When Granny dies, Elsa embarks on a quest that Granny set in motion for Elsa to deliver apology letters to various people in Granny's life. Along the way, Elsa learns more about who her grandmother was and the impact she had on so many lives. More importantly, Elsa grows in compassion and self-confidence. Like her grandmother, Elsa champions the wounded and outcast but unlike Granny she knits together a community of people which is stronger than the sum of its parts.
