And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer

A Novella

By: Fredrik Backman

Narrated by: David Morse

Length: 1 hr and 9 mins

Publisher's summary

The New York Times best-selling author of A Man Called Ove, My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry, and Britt-Marie Was Here offers an exquisitely moving portrait of an elderly man's struggle to hold on to his most precious memories and his family's efforts to care for him - even as they must find a way to let go.

"Isn't that the best of all life's ages, an old man thinks as he looks at his grandchild, when a boy is just big enough to know how the world works but still young enough to refuse to accept it?"

Grandpa and Noah are sitting on a bench in a square that keeps getting smaller every day. The square is strange but also familiar, full of the odds and ends that have made up their lives: Grandpa's work desk, the stuffed dragon that Grandpa once gave to Noah, the sweet-smelling hyacinths that Grandma loved to grow in her garden.

As they wait together on the bench, they tell jokes and discuss their shared love of mathematics. Grandpa recalls what it was like to fall in love with his wife, what it was like to lose her. She's as real to him now as the first day he met her, but he dreads the day when he won't remember her.

Sometimes Grandpa sits on the bench next to Ted, Noah's father - Ted who never liked math, prefers writing and playing guitar, and has waited his entire life for his father to have time for him, to accept him. But in their love of Noah, they have found a common bond.

Grandpa, Grandma, Ted, and Noah all meet here, in this peculiar space that is growing dimmer and more confusing all the time. And here is where they will learn to say good-bye, the scent of hyacinths in the air, nothing to fear.

This little book with a big message is certain to be treasured for generations to come.

©2016 Fredrik Backman. All rights reserved. (P)2016 Simon & Schuster

If you know anyone that is getting older.

This is a wonderful short story for anyone that is getting older or knows someone who is. The story is both happy and somewhat sad however the truth rings out. Love, life, loss and more love are life and they are all contained within. Smell the sunshine and the water.

Beautiful! Simply beautiful.

A story of love and remembering. Of joy and sadness. Of peace and of kindness. Beautiful explanation of the loss of Alzheimer's.

Magic and heartbreak

Sweetly Bittersweet memories between grandfather and grandchild; a few between father and son; some between husband and wife. Be prepared for some blurry eyes.
Morse does an ok job of narration, and is ok as grandpa; Noah not so much.

Fredrik Backman rocks!

You can never go wrong with Fredrik Backman.
This story is profound. Must read.
I'll read it to my grandchildren one day......

Must read! Extraordinary.

Short and beautiful novella.......so many life lessons touched on. A story that can easily be categorized as a "mandatory " read for growing up.

Beautiful

Anyone who has ever wondered about Alzheimer's or the relationship between a parent and an adult child should read this book. It is heartbreaking and beautiful at the same time.

A Magnificent Little Novella

I swear this author can do no wrong. This bittersweet novella kept my eyes sufficiently wet for its short duration. This little story is packed full of wisdom and nostalgia. I highly recommend it to anyone.

One man's view

A bittersweet short story - journeying with one man's end of life and being open to his recollections of family and values.

Touching

Make sure to have your tissues near by. What a wonderful story about the relationship between a boy and his grandpa.

Be ready for tears

I’ve never been so happy that a book was so short. So many tears. I don’t think I could have handled a longer version.

So much love is presented in this novella. I will be listening again and again.