Lisa Ridzén; trans. Alice Menzies
Recipient of the 2024 Swedish Book of the Year Award, When Cranes Fly South by Lisa Ridzén, translated from the Swedish by Alice Menzies, is profoundly moving novel about Bo, an 89-year-old man reflecting on his life, his relationships, and his aging.
Bo lives at home with his dog, Sixten. He has a series of caregivers who appear on a rotating basis. They bathe him, prepare his meals, chat with him, and take Sixten out for walks. His son, Hans, shows up regularly to check on him and replenish his refrigerator with food and other miscellaneous supplies. Bo’s wife has advanced dementia and resides in a care home. She no longer recognizes him or their son. He talks on the phone with his friend, Ture. But his closest friend and ally is Sixten.
Bo’s major conflict is with his son. Because of his diminishing mobility, he can no longer take Sixten for the long walks he needs. So Hans has made arrangements for Sixten to be adopted by a family who will love him and take care of him. Bo resents his son’s decision. But more than that, he resents being powerless to prevent it.
The novel unfolds through Bo’s interiority. There is so much he wants to say to Hans but can’t bring himself to say the words. His daily routine of adult nappies, phlegm cups, and frozen meals is punctuated with vivid memories of the past. He conducts imaginary conversations with his beloved wife, Frederika. Past and present bleed into one another until a voice in the present shakes him out of his dreamlike trance and thrusts him back into reality. Each time he is jerked back to the present, he seethes with anger at Hans for threatening to rehome his beloved Sixten. As the novel progresses, Bo becomes increasingly incapacitated and determines to reconcile with his son before it is too late.
Through Bo, we experience his embarrassment, powerlessness, and frustrations at his inability to help himself. But unlike so many people, Bo is fortunate to have a team of conscientious caregivers whose daily journals punctuate the narrative. He is also fortunate to be surrounded by a loving granddaughter and a son who is doing everything he can to ensure his father’s comfort.
In spare, unsentimental diction, Lisa Ridzén captures the challenges of aging with its decline of memory, its diminishing mobility, and its reliance on others to perform even the most basic tasks. It is a profoundly moving novel about an elderly man recognizing his time is near and his desire to make amends with his son before it is too late.
A beautiful novel, highly relatable, and well-deserving of awards and accolades.