“A few years turned into more years, and more years turned into all years. Years have a habit of behaving like that.”

Some stories make us think. Some stories put us on the edge of our seats. And then some stories make us laugh at humanity.

Cleaning and keeping house have been Britt-Marie’s job for years. She loves it, the orderly semblance to life. That is, until her husband goes and has a heart attack and his mistress phones Britt-Marie about it. Britt-Marie now has to figure out a new life with the only job she can get - maintaining the Borg Recreation Facility. She cleans and grieves until a unruly bag of ragga-muffins show up at her door.

Backman created a story about people, populating a cast with a beating heart. Each character has a backstory, nuances, character flaws, desires…. What a real flesh and blood version would need. He let each character shine, acting out as if they were the star when really, as the reader, we only ever see the story through Britt-Marie’s eyes. Which is where I think Backman’s skill lies. Character developed stories with soul and heartwarming story lines.

I mean the man even added a rat.

I’m not kidding people.

She fed a rat snickers and talked to him (I believe it was a him). It may be weird, but I think all of Backman’s stories come with a little bit of weird.

“A human being may not choose her circumstances, but she does choose her actions”

Overall, everything felt perfectly balanced. Comedic moments that were never forced. Perfectly painted pictures of a town on the brink of collapse. Characters that stayed true to their personalities. Plot points with substance. And the right amount of soccer, using it as a guiding point throughout the story. Never once did soccer take over though. Britt-Marie Was Here is not a soccer story. Instead, the element enhanced character relationships, stakes, and plot points.

But be warned people…. Spoiler, he never names Somebody. Why? So many times I was lost for a moment, thinking a random character just walked in, when it was always Somebody. I thought it would lead to a big reveal/heart wrenching moment in end, but it never did.

“At a certain age almost all the questions a person asks him or herself are really just about one thing: how should you live your life?”

And based on my own personal opinions, all character developed stories come with flaws. Most can’t be helped since the protagonist tends to run the show.

In Backman’s case, the struggle was in foreshadowing. He tended to point the way too clearly for the reader. At one point, Backman placed a dose of foreshadowing before a big plot twist. There was no longer a shock factor. Instead, the character spelled out what was going to happen, did it, and left a very large chunk of emotion out. At other times, Backman kept pointing to one thought so loudly, that when it came time for Britt-Marie to make a decision in the end, the reader was very aware of what it would be. Foreshadowing is a fickle mistress and one that doesn’t play well with character driven plots. The writer isn’t able to look far ahead and plan out the perfect moment to deliver the medicine. And maybe Backman just recieved some bad advice, because I personally would have left the bigger foreshadow out completely.

I highly recommend Backman’s work. Sometimes it’s a little weird. The narration can come across as clumsy, and the foreshadowing might drive you nuts, but his stories seep deep into your soul and make you want to meet the very characters he’s created.

“One morning you wake up with more life behind you than in front of you, not being able to understand how it’s happened.”

And I almost forgot. I give this one a solid 4 stars.

Happy Reading

Love Kait

Reading Challenge: 92/100