And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer

Beautiful. Backman lovingly explores the subject of love and loss, both physical and mental. It took several days to read, since each time I picked it up my eyes filled with tears. I haven't read such a moving piece in a long time.

5++

And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer covers so many important topics in a brief novella. I read it once and then had to immediately start from the beginning and read it again. I cried a lot both times. As Backman mentions in his opening letter to the reader at the start of the book, many people fear getting older, particularly losing their memory, more than they fear dying. To me, memory loss is a very scary thing, and something that I hope never happens to me. Unfortunately, Alzheimer’s and dementia are issues many deal with today, and Backman has written an ode to this traumatic issue and having to say goodbye to someone who is not yet leaving the earth.

As he addresses memory loss, Backman also beautifully portrays the wonderful relationship that grandparents and grandchildren share. Without the responsibilities parents have, grandparents can just enjoy their grandchildren and create bonds, life-long interests and memories that will never fade. In this book, Grandpa and Noah (Grandpa calls him NoahNoah because he likes Noah’s name twice as much as everyone else’s name) are on a bench in a square that grows smaller day by day (as Grandpa’s memory is slowly fading). It is filled with the everyday items that represent all that they have shared such as their love of math and reciting the endless digits of pi, camping gear, strings of Christmas lights that decorate Grandpa’s shed, and a stuffed animal Grandpa gave to Noah when he was young. As the story progresses, the two slowly learn to say goodbye as they revisit the many memories they have shared.

This book should be read by all who are sadly having to face the mental loss of someone they love while the physical body of that individual is not yet ready to give out. While it is terrifying for the poor soul experiencing the memory loss, it is also so incredibly scary and sad for those who love that individual and at times very hard for them to understand. Backman has managed to convey some sense of how a mind impacted by Alzheimer’s or dementia is operating as it is slowly shutting down. While I have read a fair amount about aging and memory loss, I feel this is the first time someone has been able to help me understand what it might actually be like to be the one experiencing it. Numerous passages are so fabulously written and create such a vivid portrayal of how the mind is functioning when muddled by memory loss. I read those sections again and again. Be prepared to need a LOT of tissues.

I highly, highly recommend And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer. This book would make a fabulous gift for anyone who is dealing with a family member or close friend with dementia or Alzheimer’s. Thanks to Atria for providing me a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review. While I have a number of favorite authors, Backman is at the top of the heap. I am anxiously awaiting his next endeavor and cannot wait to read it but in the meantime plan to reread this gem once again – with tissues in hand.

'"I think good-byes are hard," the boy admits.'

I challenge anyone not to read this novella without a lump in the throat. A moving, heart-wrenching, emotive piece of writing that is simply exquisite.

Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with this ARC.