Reviews

• “Lisa Ridzén has written a dignified novel about the degrading end of life. /…/ When the Cranes Fly South is an impressive novel, not least as the author shows restraint and does not resort to grand gestures. /…/ Above all, we here come close to the genuinely human, that of a person who is unique, as intangible and impossible to document as the idea of ​​the mythological monster, which exists in the water by virtue of the human imagination about it. Bo is still Bo, and not degraded to olding, to an object, but the identity is preserved by the words only the reader has access to. In unavoidably humiliating circumstances, Bo still stands with dignity for those who can share in his thoughts.”

• “When the Cranes Fly South is a poignantly beautiful and extremely topical novel. (…) A magnificent novel many of us will be all the wiser from reading. (…) Talk about one hell of a debut! Suddenly 89-year-old Bo was on everyone’s lips in our neighboring country. Having finished reading I feel that I too know and understand Bo. /…/ When the Cranes Fly South is simply a must for anyone educating themself within health and care. And anyone that has loved ones approaching the end of their lives have a lot to learn from this subtle, but well-written book. Also all of us who are either currently experiencing or headed for what we call old age. And that’s most of us after all…/…/ [I] think that [Ridzén] in an elegant way brings us into this 89-year-old life and bestows it with both meaning and dignity. /…/ The author masterfully achieves to bring the reader into Bo’s present life, but also to seamlessly and elegantly bring us to earlier phases of the old millworker’s life. It’s downright impressive. /…/ The relationship between Bo and Ture is a little gem in this book. It’s friendship on a moving and beautiful level. /…/ Lisa Ridzén makes a big literary gamble. She writes Bo’s personal experience of dying, his final hours of life on his way to “the other side”. She does this in such a well-executed way that I hardly can wrap my head around this being a debut author. (…) This is literature…epic literature. My immediate thought is that I’m delighted about this book. (…) Delighted to be able to absolutely and wholeheartedly recommend it. This is the most beautiful book of the summer. Full stop!”

• “A sensational debut. /…/The protagonist and narrator Bo is sure to live on vibrantly and lastingly in the minds of everyone who reads this novel. /…/ [When the Cranes Fly South] holds so much credible wisdom, a beautiful poignancy, a fantastically empathetic emotional sway and such a stunning language. The fact that Kerstin Ekman can conjure a somewhat similar ambience in The Wolf Run is conceivable; she is a long-time genius and roughly of the corresponding age. Having a thirty-five year old debut author accomplish this (…) is simply beyond comprehension. One can simply gratefully applaud.”

• “Lisa Ridzén accomplishes to charge her debut When the Cranes Fly South with a huge amount of love and respect. Bo, a grumpy old man who struggles to find the right words, slowly makes his way into my heart and I find myself profoundly moved.”

• “The most acclaimed debut of the spring. Everyone who I’ve recommended this novel to have gotten back to me with a trembling voice and said “This one is simply fantastic!”. /…/ A tender, moving and emotional tale.”

• “An emotional read. /…/ This story poignantly demonstrates what it’s like to grow old and struggle to maintain one’s dignity and independence. /…/ [When the Cranes Fly South] is both moving and thought-provoking and invokes a strong sense of empathy for Bo and his situation.”

• “An incredibly wonderful novel about a man and his dog and all that happens when he slowly is denied the right to live his life on his terms and to keep his dog. The best of the year.”

• “A debut that deservedly has been praised to the skies. /…/ Nothing is simply black or white, but beautiful and sad at the same time. Occasionally the story almost vibrates with empathy.”

• “Losing control over one’s life, to be completely at the mercy of assisted living – for good or bad. That is a scenario that many fears. This is also the fear of the protagonist in this tender, loving portrayal of an old man’s final time in life. /…/ An impressive debut that goes straight to the heart, and that it’s impossible not to be deeply affected by.”

• “Lisa Ridzén’s When The Cranes Fly South has become an acclaimed word-of-mouth sensation, and it isn’t hard to see why. A warm debut (…). A gripping tale about a father and son trying to find their way back to one another. /…/ Poignant and painful but with beautiful strokes of simple everyday joy.”

• “One of the most wonderful things I’ve read in a very long time.”

• “[Lisa Ridzén has] written a warm and moving tale about the various tribulations of old age. In addition she has accomplished a complex portrait of Bo, the novel’s protagonist. /…/ Ridzén employs a soft language and writes with a relaxed, everyday tone that is pleasant to read. The present smoothly transitions into the past in the same sentence (…) Everything feels realistic and credible, both in tone and details.”

• “[A] stunning novel about growing old, about respect, the transience of life and feeling the same on the inside even when your body won’t collaborate – at least until everything on the inside disintegrates as well. /…/ [L]isa Ridzén genuinely understands people, particularly men. Everything is beautifully observed and portrayed. /…/ Most of us, the lucky ones, will one day have to say goodbye to someone for good, and that’s awful – but this book can perhaps help ease that pain a bit.”

• “[Lisa Ridzén] masters the art of portraying a human fate. /…/ The flashbacks on love and friendships awakens many thoughts. Beautiful and well-written.”

• “[Our critic] has with great pleasure read Lisa Ridzén’s debut. (…)  He notes that her portrayal of the protagonist is filled with warmth and heartfelt tenderness. /…/ Ridzén writes in a language characterized by intimacy and depicts the milieus with great presence.”

• “A truly great novel. /…/ I have to say that I rarely cry reading a book, but here I did! I was genuinely moved (…) Very powerful.”

• “[When the Cranes Fly South] is a gentle, warm, and down-to-earth portrayal of a man’s final stage of life. /…/ Bo’s story goes straight into your heart. How short our time on earth is and yet…how marvelously filled with emotions, ambiances, moments, triumphs and shortcomings it is. In everyday life Lisa Ridzén is a doctorate student in sociology and researches masculinity and emotions in the Swedish, rural far north. I doubt anyone could be more well-suited than her for guiding us readers through Bo’s final moments on earth and I think she accomplishes that delicate task astoundingly well.”

• “How can this be a debut?! When the Cranes Fly South by Lisa Ridzén is a fantastic and unforgettable reader’s experience that will be sure to pull at your heartstrings. My emotions are all over the place. Right from the get go I’m hooked. I love the presence, the pace, the insider perspective and the entire ambience. It’s poignant and incredibly touching. A simply astounding, tender and well-written novel about an elderly man’s final days. A life tale about friendship, relationships, aging and atonement. A powerful read that awakens emotions, empathy and tears. /…/ This is a gripping, vulerable, intimate and still everyday tale that awakens strong emotions and moves me to tears. A book that invokes strong recognition and makes a profound impression. I’m impressed by the multi-facetted character portrayal, the literary composition and the credibility that makes the novel feel akin to a nuanced autobiography. /…/ I hope and believe that this novel will win all the prices out there. That it deserves.”

• “Poignant and true about growing old, loss and rememberance. Enjoyed it!”

• “A heartwarming, raw and assured debut that awakens so many emotions and thoughts. A novel that has rapidly spread word-of-mouth from reader to reader and has even made the most seasoned, thick-skinned bookworms take out the tissues.”

• “A genuinely touching reading experience, as down-to-earth, heartfelt, and sincere as a Johnny Cash song. A book that will make you want to call your father and see how he’s doing. ”

• “A strong and subtle debut by Lisa Ridzén which hits the reader right in the heart. /…/ In a text that is profoundly moving, Ridzén portrays relatable situations and relationships: about elderly people who are weakened and feeling powerless, about childrens’ experiences with parents who no longer are the way they used to be, and – about all that a human can experience. /…/ It’s an, in every aspect, moving novel that Lisa Ridzén has written, in well-written prose. (…) Through simple devices the reader is drawn into what is to be Bo’s final summer. /…/ Here there are also funny and ironic depictions of life for an elderly person. /…/ This is a novel well worth the read, with much food for thought for us all, regardless of which phase of life we’re in. It hits full force, moves you and leaves an impression.”

• “Heartbreakingly beautiful. (…) Astonishingly moving about an old man’s last summer. /…/ [The notes from the home care team] is one of the novel’s truly great devices. /…/ [A] book that should be read by everyone who works with old people. Actually, it should be read by all of us.”

• “Under [Ridzén’s] magnifying glass [Bo’s memories and everyday matters] become intriguing and meaningful. “Keeping your dementia-addled wife’s scarf in a jar just to be able to remember her scent is fundamentally pathetic, after all” Bo thinks, but it does tug hard at the reader’s heartstrings. /…/ It’s incredibly emotional, but never excessively sentimental. /…/ When the Cranes Fly South is a moving and well-written debut that leaves you wanting more.”

• “[A] powerful debut about an elderly man’s final months in life. /…/ When Lisa Ridzén conjures up the protagonist Bo it is with such credibility one could almost think this is a literary reportage. It’s impressive how she as a debut author succeeds in writing a novel mainly set in and around a country house and yet manages to fill it with such a wealth of substance. The language brings us close to the old man (…). Some way into the read I come to realize Bo is one of those protagonists that is going to stay with me for a long time. At times I’m so taken by his stubborn struggle to keep his last source of joy in life, Sixten the dog, that I almost have to put the book down. Besides being an affecting portrayal of old age, Lisa Ridzén has written an almost subversive novel (…) in a time when media executives can dismiss the elderly as a relevant subject matter there’s a touch of rebellion to the depiction of Bo.”

• “Everything [about the character Bo] feels so genuine and we get so close to him. /…/ This is a well-crafted debut. /…/ Profoundly moving.”

• “A moving human fate is here portrayed with compassion and great eye for the details. It’s a tender and poignant tale about aging, friendship and the love between man and animal.”

• “It’s rare that the aging existence is depicted out of the perspective of a very old person, with increasing health issues and assistance needs. This tale illustrates the two-edged balancing act between giving and receiving help, in not having family and home assistance take over and thereby harm the integrity and will to live. Likewise to receive and accept assistance and to not reject those wanting to help. /…/ The sentiment you’re left with when putting the book down is both grief and warmth. The novel is a tale about how an old man comes to reconcile with himself and it ought to be a given element of the health educational literature, to be a feature of the reflectional meetings for home care assistance personell and why not also a part of the School of Economics’ bookclub.

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• “[When the Cranes Fly South] is a warm and insightful tale. /…/ With a vivid language Lisa Ridzén achieves to portray the milieu, but also the thoughts and feelings of everyone involved. /…/ It’s beautiful and wistful. Fiction at its very best.”