4 stars
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Certainly an odd book. It is both humorous and heartbreaking, chaotic and calming, hectic and heartfelt. It involves flawed characters, situations of questionable morals, messy storytelling, and confusion. In other words, it is a beautiful ode to life and the idiots we all find ourselves to be at times.
This book requires careful reading. At times you will be confused. At times nothing will make sense to you. Just hold on and enjoy the ride. I promise it will all make sense at the end… mostly. A nice reflection of how life goes on whether we like it or not; people get divorced, loved ones pass away, and sometimes people try robbing cashless banks. Life is funny that way.
A dark comedy with twists and turns that will have you scratching you head, fuming that you didn’t read more closely, sending your heart out to fictional characters, smiling at the start of new friendships, and laughing at the oddity of it all.
This is only the second book I’ve read by Backman (there are at least two more on my TBR shelf), but I really enjoy his writing. This is a splendidly different book from A Man Called Ove with the same characteristic knack for making flawed characters so lovable and a wonderful talent for story telling. A very entertaining read.