And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer by Fredrik Backman

When I read Backman's A Man Called Ove, I fell in love with the author's smooth writing style and quotable lines.  And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer is a sweet little novel about a boy and his grandfather and a boy and his father as the grandfather/ father begins to suffer from dementia.  I appreciated how this book is, mostly, from the perspective of the grandfather.  So often, books are written with the family's pain and anguish at center-stage but we often fail to forget how isolating and frightening this diagnosis can be for the patient.  While we lose one family member, they lose everyone while their body is still here on Earth.  This book also contained some words of wisdom for all of us, such as how grandparents spoil their grandchildren to apologize to their children for not being able to spend as much time with them (and also a word of warning for workaholics).  I want to emphasize that this book was not the tearjerker that so many books on dementia are.  While the subject matter is sad, it had a hopeful and bright feel to it.  I really loved this little book and I think anyone could relate to the loss of family and can glean wisdom from its pages.  I believe that Fredrik Backman's works are classics in the making.

My rating:
★★★★★    

Reviews of books like this one:
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Tale of the Last True Hermit by Michael Finkel
The Sleepwalker by Chris Bohjalian

Another great book on dementia and related diseases is Still Alice by Lisa Genova.  The kindle edition is currently $6.99.
 

This book is currently available and can be purchased from Amazon and Barnes & Noble.  Read more reviews on this book on Goodreads.  The hardcover is perfect for giving as a gift but the kindle edition is $5.99 at the time that this blog post was published.

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