Britt-Marie Was Here

4.5 Stars“You have to understand that when one is just standing there looking, then just for a second one is ready to jump. If one does it, one dares to do it. But if one waits, it'll never happen.”Warning: This book made me cry. I really liked this book. So far it's my favorite this year (it's only February, but still). If you've read [b:A Man Called Ove 18774964 A Man Called Ove Fredrik Backman https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1405259930s/18774964.jpg 21619954] then you kind of know what you are getting. I found this book to be rather similar. It's gender-flipped and a different plot, but very similar non the less. “One morning you wake up with more life behind you than in front of you, not being able to understand how it's happened.”I can imagine that I wouldn't like Britt-Marie much if I ever were to meet her. But reading this book from her point of view was to me very emotional. She has more or less completely lost herself to her husband. To the point were she cannot remember whether she doesn't like something because she doesn't like it, or because he doesn't. Her entire identity is connected to the life she had with him. To being a housewife. Most of her life has been about taking care of other people (her mother, her husband, his children). It's gotten to the point were she doesn't know what to do with herself if she isn't needed by anyone. “All marriages have their bad sides, because people have weaknesses. If you live with another human being you learn to handle these weaknesses in a variety of ways. For instance, you might take the view that weaknesses are a bit like heavy pieces of furniture, and based on this you must learn to clean around them. To maintain the illusion.”“Of course the dust is building up unseen, but you learn to repress this for as long as it goes unnoticed by guests. And then one day someone moves a piece of furniture without your say-so, and everything comes into plain view. Dirt and scratch marks. Permanent damage to the parquet floor. By then it's too late.”I liked most of the characters, and I could really see a lot of development in the mc. They all felt very real to me. I know Britt-Marie is a character from [b:My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry 23604559 My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry Fredrik Backman https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1461904020s/23604559.jpg 25003015]. I haven't read that one yet, so you can by all means read this one first if you'd like. (I'll come back with a recommended reading order after I've read it.)(I read this book in Norwegian)