L V
Still processing what I want to say about this book, but cannot find the words. I think this is going to be one of those books I read again from time to time. Backman has a knack for honing in on the human condition and he tackles its complexities with just the right amount of sarcasm, respect, humor and sensitivity.
At the heart of the story are a bunch of strangers. Most seem too into their own concerns to give anyone else another thought; they almost seem self-centered. One unintentional mistake caused by one of them gets the group to slowly open up and share their own flaws and fears; and in discovering that common ground, they band together to help make that unintentional mistake disappear. “That was why you should always be nice to other people, even idiots, because you never know how heavy their burden is.”
Think of this as the adult version of that 80s movie, The Breakfast Club (only written better and way more witty).
How the author manages to pack so much feeling one minute and have you giggling the next is pure art. And most everything he writes is quotable. I found myself highlighting almost every other line. One on loss hit much too close to home: “He was my echo. Everything I do is quieter now.”
This was an amazing read, paired with the audiobook. As mentioned above, some of the characters will come across as overbearing in their self-centeredness. Reading alone may turn you off to the character, but if you pair your reading with the audiobook, the narrator’s tones and inflections will help you make friends with them.
If ever you feel like you’re the only one going through something rough, read a little Backman. He gets you, and his writing is like a big warm hug. “That’s the power of literature, you know, it can act like little love letters between people who can only explain their feelings by pointing at other people’s.”
Still processing what I want to say about this book, but cannot find the words. I think this is going to be one of those books I read again from time to time. Backman has a knack for honing in on the human condition and he tackles its complexities with just the right amount of sarcasm, respect, humor and sensitivity.
At the heart of the story are a bunch of strangers. Most seem too into their own concerns to give anyone else another thought; they almost seem self-centered. One unintentional mistake caused by one of them gets the group to slowly open up and share their own flaws and fears; and in discovering that common ground, they band together to help make that unintentional mistake disappear. “That was why you should always be nice to other people, even idiots, because you never know how heavy their burden is.”
Think of this as the adult version of that 80s movie, The Breakfast Club (only written better and way more witty).
How the author manages to pack so much feeling one minute and have you giggling the next is pure art. And most everything he writes is quotable. I found myself highlighting almost every other line. One on loss hit much too close to home: “He was my echo. Everything I do is quieter now.”
This was an amazing read, paired with the audiobook. As mentioned above, some of the characters will come across as overbearing in their self-centeredness. Reading alone may turn you off to the character, but if you pair your reading with the audiobook, the narrator’s tones and inflections will help you make friends with them.
If ever you feel like you’re the only one going through something rough, read a little Backman. He gets you, and his writing is like a big warm hug. “That’s the power of literature, you know, it can act like little love letters between people who can only explain their feelings by pointing at other people’s.”