Britt-Marie Was Here

All any of us really want is for someone to notice us. To notice what we've done.

I heard that in a podcast last week, but it fit in perfectly with this sweet novel by my main man Fredrik Backman. If you've read this blog for awhile (bless you, dear), you've read my reviews of his other books. He's definitely my favorite author in recent memory and nearly everything he writes moves me to tears. This one is no different, though it's not quite on the level of his others.

I should insert a disclaimer here. A caveat, really. I was really stressed the week I read this book and I found myself forcing my way through it. I think that influenced my overall impression of it. That said, it still is a sweet and wonderful book and contained many of the "universal truths" that make Backman's books so moving and memorable.

Britt-Marie is one of those women who would make most of us crazy if we encountered her in real life. She's the kind of woman who demands a coaster at all times. She has no patience for fun and laughter and mess. She lived her life for her husband - to iron his shirts, to cook his meals, to be up waiting for him when he gets home. She gives up her own happiness for him. So, when she finds another woman's perfume on those shirt collars she works so hard to press, her entire existence is called into question. 

An unemployment office leads her to Borg, the kind of place most people are fleeing. There, she finds disorder. She resorts to setting out a meal for a rat just to have companionship. And, as that facade of her perfect life begins to crack, she starts to find herself inside.

Oh, and she ends up coaching a soccer team, too.

This book is sweet, beautifully written, honest and even empowering. When Backman asks about the last time Britt-Marie made a choice just for herself... you find yourself searching for the answer in your own life as well. 

I'd like to read this book again in a less-stressed state. It would offer more reflection about the choices we make, the lives we build and what happens when we finally have the opportunity to choose ourselves.