Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

What a book! What a crazy, goofy, wonderful book this is! It is a little difficult to read, but, once you get the hang of it, the author has really captured how a scared and angry little girl named Elsa thinks and feels if a child that age had the insight and vocabulary to do so. Of course, Elsa is "different." She is brilliant in ways children seldom are, and she acts out in ways that are clearly understood by the adults in her world. This writer is brilliant in evoking an emotion in a person as the reader responds to the little girl's responses to situations and then figures out what is actually going on through his clever weaving of clues. Elsa's grandmother dies and charges Elsa with delivering a series of letters that explain things about Elsa's neighbors and about life itself through her apologies, and as Elsa begins to understand the world around her, so do you.That is because it is a book that draws you into the heart and soul of the characters, and leaves you scratching your head as to how you actually got there. I love this book, and really admire this writer's talent. I read a lot. Some books are a nice story, some a nice adventure, and some will change your life. And here is a spoiler alert: this is a book that will change your life. Fredrik Backman is brilliant, and he dares to change lives through his writing. He makes it okay to be different, by finding the "different" in us all.