My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry - Kyle
Elsa is a 7-year-old smartass, who's the type of person who would unironically correct you for texting your instead of you're. Elsa is bullied at school; chased around by heartless bullies who get a rush from watching their victims flee desperately. Elsa does, however, have one friend, her grandma. Her grandma is extremely eccentric, unconventional, and rebellious. She's the type of person to climb the cage at a zoo and throw shit at the monkeys. However, her grandma is also wise and loving; she would throw shit at monkeys to distract Elsa from her terrible day at school. Elsa's grandma loves telling Elsa fairy tales, and all her fairy tales are based in her made-up magic world called the Land-of-Almost-Awake. Sadly, one day Elsa's grandma dies, leaving Elsa with nothing but letters to the people she wronged while alive. Elsa sets out to deliver the letters, gradually overcoming her grief, making new friends, learning more about her grandma, and discovering that the fairy tales from the Land-of-Almost-Awake might not be all that make-believe.
This novel is a carefully crafted masterpiece. It drips the reader information throughout the book and connects them throughout the story, slowly unpeeling layers of the various characters introduced throughout the book. The fairy tales seem like innocuous and imaginative stories to entertain Elsa at first, yet quickly become a way for Elsa to discover what is happening in her life. The characters make this novel. Similar to Backman's other works, you will appreciate all the characters by the end of the novel, even if they started off annoying. The plot doesn't add too much to the novel, and isn't very realistic if you think about it enough, but it's really just there to allow the characters to shine.
I really enjoyed this novel. It has everything I want in a book: good characters, heartwarmingness, and mystery. While others might not enjoy it quite as much as me, since I'm a huge fan of character driven novels, I'd recommend it to anyone who got intrigued by my summary. 9/10
Good job Kyle! I like how you give a brief summary that was effective! I will most definitely pick this book up!
ReplyDeleteKyle, great review! I've never heard of this book, but it seems very heartfelt in the way you describe it. I liked how in the beginning you were very honest in describing the characters, and also how you included a little bit of your own personal opinions at the end.
ReplyDeleteGreat review, Kyle. I have read this book before, and I, too, enjoyed it. It's remarkable how you summed it up in a practical way! There is no doubt in my mind that I will pick up this book again soon.!
ReplyDeleteHi Kyle! It's great that you enjoyed this read. The way you described the characters and the plot makes it sound like a really engaging and heartwarming read. It's interesting that the fairy tales told by Elsa's grandmother are not just there for entertainment but also play an important role in the story. I'll have to pick it up sometime!
ReplyDeleteNice review Kyle! I don't think I have ever read a book like this before. A question that I have is does she live with her parents or her grandmother? This book seems really interesting and I plan on reading it.
ReplyDeleteHi Kyle! This book sounds really good and I love the depth of your review on it! I'll definitely read this at some point. Great post!
ReplyDeleteThis book sounds like an interesting blend of fairytales and a grieving character story. I like how you framed the blog around it being character driven, and mentioned how the plot was pretty weak, but I do like a good character driven story.
ReplyDeleteGreat review! This seems like just the kind of book I could become stuck reading. I really like the idea of sending apology letters after someone has died.
ReplyDeleteAwesome review Kyle! I love the depth of your review. I can really feel the general vibe of the book through this post. Great post!
ReplyDeleteHi Kyle, This book sounds like a great read. This review was engaging and I'll have to add this book to my reading list.
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