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

My reviews follow the format of CAWPILE

Characters

Atmosphere

Writing

Plot

Intrigue

Logic

Enjoyment

This is a beautiful book so short it’s impossible not to read it in one sitting.

Characters

The main focus of this story are the two characters pictured on the cover. A grandfather and his young grandson.

The grandfather is warm and kind, yet has I stern side that makes itself known. Dementia is a cruel illness, I cannot imagine what it must be like to live a long and full life and to then have it stripped away from you suddenly from day to day.

In my opinion it’s both heartbreaking and heartwarming that within so few pages we (the reader) are able to know so much about this lovely man through his life stories and jokes with his grandson. At times he knows he is telling a story, yet in others it’s clear he believes he is living it.

The grandson is mature beyond his years. You can’t help but feel a pride for him and how beautifully he has managed to accept the role he has to play to take care of his grandfather. In the moments where he is able to be a child with his grandfather, the contentment I believe he feels oozes from the page, yet his ability to understand within in a split second that his responsibility toward him has changed is awe inspiring.

Atmosphere

Despite the length of this book, the atmosphere of this story begins when your eyes meet the colours of the cover art. It’s beautiful. I’m stunned at how easily identifiable every character’s feeling and every description of their surroundings are. There is at no point a moment of uncertainty, it’s cleverly relatable enough that it all becomes a background awareness. You don’t need to keep it in the forefront of your mind because the focus in my opinion points towards the characters, and rightly so.

Writing

In my opinion, this book would be just as phenomenal as a 500 page novel as it is as a 170 page novella, the quality of the writing and the vocabulary is wonderful. It has a complexity suitable for an older reader whilst also being acceptable to a younger audience by giving the perspective of the grandson. It’s very cleverly crafted.

Plot

There’s very little, in the way of a conventional plot in my opinion. It doesn’t need one. The focus is the characters and their experiences, anything more than that would ruin that intention.

Intrigue

My initial intrigue for this book again began when I first saw the cover and then read the title. It’s not the shortest name for a book admittedly but it explains enough to understand briefly what it’s pages might behold, whilst also asking the question of Do you want to know more? My answer of course being yes I do! I was not disappointed. It has left me curious to find and read more of this author’s work.

Logic

This is a real life snapshot of the lives and experiences of a family and the impact of an illness that has and will continue to touch far too many lives.

Enjoyment

This book is utterly amazing, I cannot recommend it highly enough. It is beautiful. Everyone should read this book.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️