Susanne's Reviews > Britt-Marie Was Here

Britt-Marie was Here is the best book I've read this year. Simply put, it is fantastic.

Britt-Marie is difficult, frustrating and socially awkward. She is also insensitive and kind of rude. A minor character in My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry, Britt-Marie was instantly disliked in that book and is not well liked in the beginning of this one either. However, Fredrik Backman has this endearing way of making old curmudgeons likeable and being extremely successful at it (i.e. Ove and Britt-Marie). Her character, her ocd, her social ineptitude.. they grow on you. Here, we find out why she is the way she is and we discover that, due to her childhood and her marriage, she has felt invisible her whole life. She has trouble figuring out who she really is and is fanatical simply because it is the only thing she can control. Upon losing everything, she decides to find a job and is forced to move to a small town. In the process she finds a sense of humor, discovers that she is capable of making friends and also finds her sense of self.

Fredrik Backman's A Man Called Ove was one of my favorite books ever. His writing style is smart, funny, quirky and just downright amazing. His characters are rich, well developed and beloved. In addition to Britt-Marie, Vega, Somebody, Bank, Sami and "the girl from the unemployment office" lent heart and soul to the story and gave Britt-Marie exactly what she needed: friends and reasons to go have at it.

I didn't think it was possible for Mr. Backman to write another book that I'd love as much as "Ove" but if truth be told, I love this one more. It was truly phenomenal.