Book Review: My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry

My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry seems a mouthful and a convoluted title. Yet, it provides a fitting description of the heart of the story within this book. Elsa's grandmother sends her on a scavenger hunt to locate and deliver several letters to her closest neighbors, friends, and relatives, conveying her sympathies and apologies. In fulfilling this task, Elsa not only gets to know those around her, but comes to understand the purpose and meaning of her own life.

I loved the opening lines:

"Every seven-year-old deserves a superhero. That's just how it is. Anyone who doesn't agree needs their head examined. That's what Elsa's granny says, at least."

Indeed, the book is full of superheroes cloaked in the outward appearance of fragile, dysfunctional lives. I thoroughly enjoyed it and read ravenously, only struggling with the fairy-tale element. Although I have several friends who adore such stories, I've never been interested. Thus I skimmed over those passages until I realized they provided clues to her life; then I paid more solid attention and appreciated how the location names held great meaning and the characters interlaced with reality.

The pacing was perfect and provided just enough clues to lead you into the tunnel before breaking through to daylight. I enjoyed the quirky characters: poor, precocious Elsa; feisty, firecracker Granny; well-intentioned, organized Ulrika; frazzled, emotionally wounded Britt-Marie. I loved how the characters' lives intersected.

So much to ponder! The dilemma of sacrificing the needs of one to meet the needs of many. Death bringing new birth in the amazing cycle of life. The overwhelming power of grief. Tragedy touches every character, whether wounded by war, internal demons, jealousy, inadequacy, grief, infidelity, etc., and Elsa struggles to understand her place in the world. She must discover how to go on without her chief protector. The puzzle pieces fit together neatly and make a stunning, comprehensive picture. In small ways, I could relate to each individual trial. I finished the book with a sense of awe at the fragility and resilience of humanity.

Readers who adored Fredrik Backman's bestseller, A Man Called Ove, will find another Backman title well worth pursuing. For individuals who failed their own children but received a second chance with grandchildren, this book will hit home. It will appeal to lovers of fairy tales and parents of awkward children. Every reader will relate to something within the book. I could certainly relate when Elsa viewed all the books in the psychotherapist's office and proclaimed, "Did you ever hear about the woman who read herself to death?" - Ha!