My Grandmother Sends Her Regards and Apologises

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This dog/Wurse was constantly being fed chocolate, which is actually quite dangerous for our furry friends and should not be encouraged. Her grandmother's letters lead her to an apartment building full of drunks, monsters, attack dogs, and totally ordinary old crones-but also to the truth about fairytales and kingdoms and a grandmother like no other.

Yet they are each other’s favorite person – always on each other’s side even when they are in the wrong. The precocious Elsa is definitely beyond her years but it was hard at times to believe that a 7 year old would be as wise and knowing about people as she was . As Christmas draws near, even the best superhero grandmothers may have one or two things they'd like to apologise for.I really enjoyed this book which is told from the point of view of a 7 year old (almost 8 as she says) girl named Elsa who is unusually clever for her age but in so many ways still very much a child. She's so smart and astute that you sometimes forget she's only seven until we see the insecurities and vulnerabilities of a seven year old dealing with her parents' divorce, confronting grief and death and her anxiety over having a half brother or sister and fear that she won't be loved as much . With each letter, offering apologies and regrets, Elsa unravels the truth about the fairy tales that form the foundation of the Land-of-Almost-Awake, and the secrets of her grandmother's exceptional life.

The Bookbag * There are clear themes here, nominally: the importance of stories; the honesty of children; and the obtuseness of most adults, putting him firmly in league with the likes of Roald Dahl and Neil Gaiman. 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.The real world lately cries out for escape and this is a wonderful book to follow down the rabbit hole. When Granny dies (which I guess is kind of a spoiler, but c’mon, clearly you saw that coming) Elsa slowly learns more about the life she lived before they became friends. Elsa is also learning about the different ways of the world, how her grandmother's stories bore reality and fantasy together and how complex was her grandmother's life.

I have to admit at times , I was not into the fairytale but once I got what the stories were really about , I saw it in a different light . Backman has the ability to make you laugh and cry and to find the most unlikely expressions which are, in effect, perfect. Because, as Elsa is starting to learn, heroes and villains don't always exist in imaginary kingdoms; they could live just down the hallway. Among Elsa's neighbours are eccentric chatterboxes and drunken workaholics, weird hounds and mysterious lurkers. Plus I normally really like reading Scandinavian-translated books (I am the worst) because I like the way it sounds when it’s English-ized.As mentioned previously, the child protagonist Elsa is also an engaging character to read, as Backman infuses her with observations well out of a 7 year old grasp while still writing her as a believable child.