This novel has been attracting a lot of attention and won the Swedish Book of the Year award. It has been compared to 'A Man Called Ove', possibly the only other Swedish novel many of us know. I hadn't explored anything more about it when I picked it up and it took me a couple of attempts to immerse myself in the story, but then I rattled through it in an afternoon.

The story is told, in the main, by Bo, an elderly man living alone in a village in Sweden with his dog Sixten. His wife is no longer at home - she has dementia and is being cared for elsewhere. She no longer remembers him and he finds it difficult to visit.

Occasionally Bo is visited by his son, Hans, but they don't get on. So things are tough for Bo as he becomes increasingly less mobile and less capable of looking after himself. He gains solace by recalling early family life and he enjoys his phone calls with his good friend Ture and the affection of his dog Sixten.

But interspersed with Bo's comments about each day's events are the short notes left in a message book by the various carers who have been engaged to get him up in the morning, who feed him, wash him and make sure he has everything he needs.

(The author had read the notes left by carers of her grandfather in his last days, and these are what inspired her novel.)

This becomes a very powerful and effective device in telling the story. Certainly as Hans makes some difficult decisions about his father's care, our loyalties are challenged. 

I won't say anything more about what happens in this simple story, spanning just a few weeks, but urge you to read it. I couldn't put it down. It's amusing in parts and the character studies of the people in Bo's life, while lightly drawn, are effective and engaging. Ultimately, though, what happens to Bo is really quite sad. It's a very moving and thought-provoking book. But read it yourself before giving as a gift.