Book Review: The Deal of a Lifetime by Fredrik Backman

Rating: ★★★★★

Genre: Literature & Fiction

Publisher: Atria Books

Publication Date: October 31, 2017

Fredrik Backman delivers a heartbreaking work of fiction just in time for the holidays. Never mind that I read it way after the holidays. It’s not so much a holiday story, though, even though it takes place on Christmas Eve, but rather, it’s a story about life and what someone is willing to give up for a chance at it.

Summary:

Hi. It’s your dad. You’ll be waking up soon, it’s Christmas Eve morning in Helsingborg, and I’ve killed a person. That’s not how fairy tales usually begin, I know. But I took a life. Does it make a difference if you know whose it was?

It’s Christmas Eve, and a father is leaving a note for his son. Only, not the sort of note you would expect around the holidays. It’s a confession, of sorts, because he’s taken someone’s life.

The man is dying. He knows that, but his son doesn’t, because they’re not particularly close. In fact, the man’s whole life has revolved around his career, and darn it, he’s built a good one. His rich and famous, with all the worldly assets anyone could want. That was easy, because he was good at it. What he wasn’t very good at was parenting, and he knows he’s failed his son. But that’s just who he is. Who could expect more than that?

Now, the man’s faced with a decision. A few rooms down from him, there’s a little girl dying of cancer, who spends her days dreaming with her mother about a future she’ll never have. The man can save her, but why should he? In the grand scheme of things, what does one little girl’s life really mean anyway?

The Good:

• Frederik Backman is an incredible storyteller. I’m not familiar with Backman’s other work and look forward to reading it shortly, but I have heard endless praise about his writing, which is why I gave it a go. Backman does not disappoint. Even in such a short story, there is an incredible amount of depth layered into the story. It’s thought-provoking and gut-wrenching and, worst of all, it makes you ask those big, important questions about your own life. The kind no one likes to wonder.

• The plot is just pure brilliance. It’s a feel-good story, for sure, but not the sort you’re probably thinking of. It’s not rainbows and sunshine, so if that’s what you’re expecting, move along. It’s real, and real life is gritty and ugly and often painted in shades of gray. The story starts at the ending and unfolds little by little, laying down the groundwork for the real ending. The scenes don’t always make sense at first in the microcosm, but when they finally tied into the big picture, everything clicked, and I felt like it fit together perfectly the way it was told. It’s like watching a flower bloom: it doesn’t look like much to start with, but it grows more impressive over time until it’s finally done, and then you can see its full beauty.

• I cried. A lot. Big ol’ ugly tears. Now, I’m not an overly sappy person. Sure, I have emotions (the pesky things that they are), and I realize when scenes are sad. But, I mean, I didn’t cry at any point while reading Harry Potter. I know.  But man, this story pushes all the right buttons. The way it deals with death, especially the imminent death of a child, is heartwrenching, in a way that feels like it’s coming from someone who’s been there, sitting in a hospital room alone with a loved one, knowing only one of you will ever leave. The emotion was so visceral and poignant, and it was fantastic. Oh yes, it hurt, but in a good way. Because misery loves company, I forced my grandmother to read it so I didn’t have to cry alone, and she cried. And since she had no one else to force it on, she whacked me with her cane for making her cry. Because sometimes love hurts, too.

• The main character is deliciously mean. Not in a Scrooge sort of way. He didn’t just wake up one day and decide business is more important than family. He didn’t set out to be a bad person. He just is who he is. He knows his shortcomings, and he knows he’s failed in some things, even as he’s had major successes in others. He knows he’s not perfect. But he also knows that, realistically, he’s not going to change. He never was. But he isn’t heartless. He does love and care about others. He just doesn’t believe in happiness, and he doesn’t understand why people put so much importance in something that’s so idyllic and fleeting. As far as he’s concerned, nothing great was ever made because someone was happy; the greatest accomplishments come from obsession, and that’s what leads to building a lasting legacy. He’s not a character that I would just innately sympathize with at all, yet he did, slowly but surely, win my heart.

The Bad:

• It’s very, very short. 65 pages, actually, if you cut off the advertisements at the end, and many of those pages include illustrations. Calling this a book review, even, is pretty generous. I loved it, so I wanted more just because of that. Not that it felt incomplete, because it didn’t, but who wants to see a good thing end? However, I borrowed this from the library. If you’re going to buy it, I would just make sure you know what you’re getting for the money you’re spending. This took me maybe 20-ish minutes to read, so it goes pretty darn quick.

Overall:

Look, I know 2018 just started, but I’m already calling this as one of my favorite reads of 2018. I don’t see anything topping this. It’s just a short story, so I wouldn’t recommend anyone going in expecting some huge, dramatic, life-altering book. This won’t deliver. However, it did have a strong emotional impact, for me at least. Would I read it again? Heck yes. Actually, in all honesty, I’ll probably end up buying it, just so I can add it to my collection. So I liked it enough to spend a ridiculous amount of money on a 20-minute read. I’d say that pretty well sums up how I feel about it.

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Have you read The Deal of a Lifetime or another book by Fredrik Backman? I’d love to hear what you thought.