Britt-Marie Was Here: A Novel by Fredrik Backman

 Britt-Marie Was Here: A Novel by Fredrik Backman. Atria Books (an imprint of Simon & Schuster), 2014. Adult fiction.


    Britt-Marie is different from most people. When she goes to the unemployment office and is persistent, she finds a temporary job in the small town of Borg. She arrives with her knowledge of cleaning and manages to change herself and the townspeople forever. Britt-Marie knows little about men, but finds herself wooed by two men. Britt-Marie knows nothing about soccer, but she ends up coaching and mentoring and loving the local children who play passionately. Finding out Britt-Marie's secrets is truly like peeling back the layers of an onion, but readers will laugh with her, sympathize with her, and urge her to live her own best life. One person can really change the world as Britt-Marie proves.


The story reads faster than the author's A Man Called Ove and the main character is just as quirky, but totally different. Part of the fun in the story involves the small drawings that precede each chapter. Each represents a happening or object vital to the story. Even the cover illustration is pitch perfect! And, you might just find yourself rearranging your silverware drawer!