Trigger warnings: Death, grieving, talk of illness (specifically cancer)
Synopsis: A father and a son are seeing each other for the first time in years. The father has a story to share before it’s too late. He tells his son about a courageous little girl lying in a hospital bed a few miles away. She’s a smart kid—smart enough to know that she won’t beat cancer by drawing with crayons all day, but it seems to make the adults happy, so she keeps doing it.
As he talks about this plucky little girl, the father also reveals more about himself: his triumphs in business, his failures as a parent, his past regrets, his hopes for the future.
Now, on a cold winter’s night, the father has been given an unexpected chance to do something remarkable that could change the destiny of a little girl he hardly knows. But before he can make the deal of a lifetime, he must find out what his own life has actually been worth, and only his son can reveal that answer.
With humor and compassion, Fredrik Backman’s The Deal of a Lifetime reminds us that life is a fleeting gift, and our legacy rests in how we share that gift with others.
Review: This is my first Fredrik Backman book and I can see why he's so well loved. The Deal of a Lifetime is less than 100 pages, but it still hits. We have an unnamed father who is reflecting on his life and his past as he wrestles with having cancer. While he's in the hospital, he meets a little girl, who is also sick, but she is very self-aware and doesn't seem to let anything get her down. I normally don't like unnamed protagonists, but I felt like it worked in this story. Fredrik does a great job of showing that illness doesn't discriminate when people get sick.
Backman's writing is beautiful, and I enjoyed seeing someone who "works for" death. The woman in the gray sweater is interesting, and part of this book is the protagonist reflecting on people he has lost in life. It's also about regret, and learning how to own up to your mistakes. The Deal of a Lifetime is written like the dad is leaving a letter to his son where he reflects on all the things that impacted his life. There's also a chance for redemption, even after you've done so much in life poorly. For such a short book, The Deal of a Lifetime hits a lot of solid notes.
Short, but sweet book reflecting on one man's life, but a great way for readers to reflect on our own lives.
4 howls
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