Elsa’s mother grew up in a nontraditional family environment. Do you think this influenced her parenting style with Elsa? In what ways? But then Granny takes the job of full time granny, which highlights another theme: we humans change. Transformation is another central theme in the novel, and within that, the possibility of healing. Many of the characters in the novel were deeply wounded and traumatized by war. Healing doesn’t mean we are no longer strange and never “shits,” but it can mean that we can love and forgive. And here we have another theme (implicit in the title): the opportunity, which remains an option, to forgive;we can make thepowerful and potentially transformative choice to forgive. Give the letter to him who's waiting. He won't want to accept it, but tell him it's from me. Tell him your granny sends her regards and says she's sorry"

Grandmother is eccentric, a little nutty, a superhero.....both a sword and a shield. She is strong independent woman, who wants to say "I am sorry" to those she loves. It was a community built along the road, and that was the kindest thing one can say about it. There was a closed-down chemist, a closed-down soccer field, a closed-down school, a closed-down health center, a closed-down supermarket, and a road that bears away in two different directions ... As a young girl she was in an accident in which her sister died. Her parents hardly knew that Britt-Marie stayed alive. They slowly died themselves, leaving her, the unimportant child, behind. But the accident also changed Britt-Marie's behavior, leaving her with almost a lite form of Asperger's or Autism syndrome. Her life needed to be strictly structured and her obsessive compulsive tendencies prevented her from being socially adaptable. Soccer was an enemy. It was Kent's only passion in life, apart from being married to his entrepreneurial business and his mistress.If you merely drive through Borg its easy to notice only the places that have been closed down. You have to slow down to see what's still there. There are people in Borg. There are rats and Zimmer-frames and greenhouses. Wooden fences and white jerseys and lit candles. Newly laid turf and sunny stories.' Ah! What have I read here? A delightful take on life? A sensitive take on grief? A wise take on relationships? Perhaps all of it. And more. There are so many poignant elements, themes, and life lessons to explore and think about. The characters are so well drawn, the language and prose is near perfect, as is the pacing and the hysterically funny, yet touching, razor sharp dialogue.

Ask your grand child how much they know about you. Encourage them to ask questions about your personal life, so that they too can be future storytellers and keep memories alive. One morning you wake up with more life behind you than in front of you, not being able to understand how it's happened." Britt-Marie can’t stand mess. A disorganized cutlery drawer ranks high on her list of unforgivable sins. She is not one to judge others—no matter how ill-mannered, unkempt, or morally suspect they might be. It’s just that sometimes people interpret her helpful suggestions as criticisms, which is certainly not her intention. But hidden inside the socially awkward, fussy busybody is a woman who has more imagination, bigger dreams, and a warmer heart that anyone around her realizes.Were you surprised by the ways in which each of the apartment tenants were connected to the others? Which relationship surprised you the most? Why?