Britt-Marie Was Here

The bestselling author of A Man Called Ove and My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry returns with an irresistible novel about finding love and second chances in the most unlikely of places.

Britt-Marie can’t stand mess. A disorganized cutlery drawer ranks high on her list of unforgivable sins. She begins her day at 6 a.m., because only lunatics wake up later than that...

The bestselling author of A Man Called Ove and My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry returns with an irresistible novel about finding love and second chances in the most unlikely of places.

Britt-Marie can’t stand mess. A disorganized cutlery drawer ranks high on her list of unforgivable sins. She begins her day at 6 a.m., because only lunatics wake up later than that. And she is not passive-aggressive. Not in the least. It's just that sometimes people interpret her helpful suggestions as criticisms, which is certainly not her intention. She is not one to judge others—no matter how ill-mannered, unkempt, or morally suspect they might be.

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.

When Britt-Marie walks out on her cheating husband and has to fend for herself in the miserable backwater town of Borg—of which the kindest thing one can say is that it has a road going through it—she is more than a little unprepared. Employed as the caretaker of a soon-to-be demolished recreation center, the fastidious Britt-Marie has to cope with muddy floors, unruly children, and a (literal) rat for a roommate. She finds herself being drawn into the daily doings of her fellow citizens, an odd assortment of miscreants, drunkards, layabouts—and a handsome local policeman whose romantic attentions to Britt-Marie are as unmistakable as they are unwanted. Most alarming of all, she’s given the impossible task of leading the supremely untalented children’s soccer team to victory. In this small town of big-hearted misfits, can Britt-Marie find a place where she truly belongs?

Funny and moving, observant and humane, Britt-Marie Was Here celebrates the unexpected friendships that change us forever, and the power of even the gentlest of spirits to make the world a better place.

弗雷德里克·巴克曼，1981年出生于瑞典赫尔辛堡，以撰写博客和专栏起家。处女作《一个叫欧维的男人决定去死》在全球创下惊人销量记录后，第二部小说《外婆的道歉信》再掀阅读狂潮，巴克曼因此当选瑞典年度作家；中文版问世仅6个月就销售超过50万册，令他在中国读者中收获极高 人气。

巴克曼的作品语言妙趣横生，并且总是能敏锐地捕捉到日常中的细节，通过小动作和微表情让每个角色都活起来。

巴克曼曾在采访中说，他的故事只关注55岁以上的中老年人和10岁以下的小孩，因为他们是最不会在意社会既定法则的人。第三部小说《清单人生》便以63岁的布里特-玛丽为主角，故事紧跟《外婆的道歉信》，讲述从没走出过家门的布里特-玛丽，在遭遇命运背叛后第一次离开家寻找自己的人生。这部作品继承了巴克曼风趣又催泪的风格。

如今他和妻子及两个孩子居住在斯德哥尔摩。