Britt-Marie Was Here
By: Fredrik Backman
My Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARS
Best for: 18 and up

Ah Fredrik Backman, why do I love you so?!

Britt-Marie is judgmental, passive-aggressive to the extreme, unkind, lacks empathy, can’t take a joke, doesn’t know when to stop, offensive, permanently grumpy, doesn’t smile, and insists everything has to be done her way or it’s wrong. She’s the old lady in the store that’s so obtusely annoying you can’t wait to get home to tell your person all about how she had the nerve to roll her eyes at what’s in your cart, look down her nose at your clothes, cut in front of you in line, take forever to write a check, complain when the cashier moves too slowly, and insist the cheapest thing in her cart was charged too high and the manager must come over re-scan her entire order.

Ugh. She’s the worst.

Or…is she the best?

In that way only Fredrik Backman can, we get to know Britt-Marie–in all they ways. We cringe at her actions, but then we also live in her head. It doesn’t take long before understanding creeps in. Then empathy. Then love. By the end of the book, you’ll be cheering for Britt-Marie like she was Iron Man snapping Thanos after he put a spoon away in the wrong drawer. Uncultured swine!

Britt-Marie is a woman of habit. Her life is meticulously planned, her days filled with routines that give a sense of control. Though it’s never indicated, I think she has symptoms of Asperger’s syndrome. When her husband unexpectedly leaves her, she is forced to confront the disorder and injustice of life and the emptiness that has crept into her existence.

Seeking a fresh start, Britt-Marie moves to Borg, a small and failing Swedish town that everyone except the unlucky residents have forgotten about. In Borg she finds a job managing the local community center that’s only open because no one bothered to tell the city council to stop paying for it. There, she encounters a colorful cast of characters, including a group of misfit children, a struggling local football team (soccer to us Yanks) who practice in a parking lot, the wheelchair bound woman known only as Someone who runs the local pizzeria/post office/coffee shop/grocery story/auto mechanic/hang out, and Sven, the local police officer.

As Britt-Marie interacts with the uncouth and improper people of Borg, her walls begin to crumble–or is it ours that begin to crumble? She discovers a newfound sense of purpose, and slowly finds she CAN do the hard things, she CAN embrace the unexpected, she CAN find joy in simple pleasures, and she CAN connect with other humans.

Britt-Marie Was Here is a testament to the power of human connection. It works miracles in helping see from another’s perspective, and embracing it.

Even if it is the perspective of that grumpy, grocery-store grandma.

You go, grandma!

While Britt-Marie Was Here is a wonderful read for adults, it’s worth mentioning that the book contains some adult language and themes that may not be suitable for younger readers. This Dad says best for 18 and up.

Happy Reading!