Kathleen C

Thank you to BookBrowse, Vintage Books and Penguin Random House for this Advanced Reader Copy of When the Cranes Fly South by Lisa Ridzén. This book was translated from Swedish and unsurprisingly, is the winner of the Swedish Book of the Year Award.

I enjoyed everything about this book. The writing is beautiful; and I completely agree with a review that describes it as a "feel-good tear-jerker". It is a glimpse into the life of a grumpy old man named Bo, as he approaches the end of his life. He reflects on all the people who have shaped his life for better and for worse. It is the story of a man and the unending love he has for his dog Sixten; the relationships he has with his caregivers and also with best friend Ture who is in a similar place in life; the complicated relationships he had with his father and with his son; and the relationship he has lost with his wife who is in a memory care facility.

It is about love, reflection, regrets, and appreciation of life as it approaches it's end; I very much enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend to others.