And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer: A Novella

Fredrik Backman

Nov 2016 · Sold by Simon and Schuster

About this ebook

A little book with a big heart—from the New York Times bestselling author of A Man Called Ove and Anxious People.

“I read this beautifully imagined and moving novella in one sitting, utterly wowed, wanting to share it with everyone I know.” —Lisa Genova, bestselling author of Still Alice

From the New York Times bestselling author of A Man Called Ove, My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry, Britt-Marie Was Here, and Anxious People comes an exquisitely moving portrait of an elderly man’s struggle to hold on to his most precious memories, and his family’s efforts to care for him even as they must find a way to let go.

With all the same charm of his bestselling full-length novels, here Fredrik Backman once again reveals his unrivaled understanding of human nature and deep compassion for people in difficult circumstances. This is a tiny gem with a message you’ll treasure for a lifetime.

Ratings and reviews

Fredrik Backman has been one of my favorite authors for awhile, so there was no way I was going to decline Atria's offer of an ARC of his novella, And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer. In a Letter to the Reader, Backman discloses that the book was not initially intended for publication. I'd like to kiss the feet (metaphorically speaking) of the person who convinced him to share his meditation on memory and death with the rest of us. Backman describes his greatest fear as "imagination giving up before the body does"; substitute "the mind" for "imagination" and I think Backman has captured the zeitgeist of the Alzheimer's era, when we have the ability to perpetuate physical life long after the memory, the mind, the personality, is gone. "It's an awful thing to miss someone who's still here" belongs on a badge worn by every person with a loved one whose heart is still strong but whose eyes have lost their defining spark. This is a book you'll want to read in private, with a box of tissues close at hand (unless you don't mind fellow commuters watching your mascara streak down your face). Regardless of the setting you select, you need to read And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer. Trust me: Grandpa and Noah are not just characters, but people you won't soon forget. This review was based on a free ARC provided by the publisher.

Didn't really enjoy it much. Only goth through it because of the length. Found myself lost at the transitions in time.

Wonderful. This novella touches every level of the emotional spectrum. Thank you Mr. Backman.

About the author

Fredrik Backman is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Man Called Ove, My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry, Britt-Marie Was Here, Beartown, Us Against You, and Anxious People, as well as two novellas and one work of nonfiction. His books are published in more than forty countries. He lives in Stockholm, Sweden, with his wife and two children. Connect with him on Facebook and Twitter @BackmanLand and on Instagram @Backmansk.