A fantastic debut! Beautifully written and on a topic that is personal for so many people.

It was so raw and emotional. Multiple times throughout I felt the grief Bo was going through. The book is split up into Days, with time-stamped entries from Care Assistants. The mix of first person perspective from Bo, contrasting with the entries, gave a well-rounded view of what was going on, which was even more emotional.

Bo lives in a small village in Sweden. His wife is in a home with dementia and his days are long and full of memories. He has his dog Sixten, his carers and his son Hans and his Granddaughter. He also has his phone calls with his best friend. Hans has decided that Sixten is to much for Bo and is talking about taking him away but Bo can't imagine life without him. Then his best friend dies .
This is a beautifully written story about a man coming to the end of his life and having to rely on other people and accept
their decisions about him.
This book made me both laugh and cry.

So glad I've read this book.

Can't wait to read more from this author. I read this book in two sittings, couldn't wait to pick it back up and read more about Bo.

Wow - what a book!

A beautifully written and heartbreaking tale which centres upon Bo who is nearing the end of his life. The novel looks back upon his life, relationships and regrets as well as focusing on his inevitable decline in health and the decisions made as a result.

All the characters were excellently written and I felt so much empathy for them all. The story was well paced and realistic. I’ll definitely be reading more from this author.

Highly, highly recommended - especially for fans of A Man Called Ove.

Thanks to Random House UK, Transworld Publishers | Doubleday and NetGalley for the ARC.

Be prepared, upsetting, sad, humorous , wonderfully descriptive of not just the characters but the country and their care systems. Even though the theme is upsetting it’s so true and your opinions change constantly of what you would do or want to happen. Life changing decisions are made but are they the right ones?
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This is a desperately sad book – and strangely life-affirming at the same time.

Bo is an old man, living at his home in the company of his trusted dog Sixten, regularly visited by his son and looked after by a bunch of kind and competent carers. His wife Frederika now lives in a nursing home, due to her progressive dementia. She left a big void in his life and he fills it with constantly talking to her in his mind. Now his son threatens to take Sixten away too, since Bo struggles to look after him.

Given his mobility issues, Bo experiences how his world is shrinking, confining him to his house, often just to his bed, leaving him to explore the vast repository of memories of his lived life. He realises that fewer and fewer decisions are now of his own making. They are being taken away from him, which makes him feel helpless and that makes him really angry. When he can muster the strength, he rages against it, because he is not content with being told by others what is best for him, with the thought that at his age he cannot expect any better of his body, with losing things he loved. He feels betrayed by his body: his wasted muscles, his sore watery eyes, his lack of balance, his clumsy rheumatic hands and many other ailments.

We know that there is only one direction of travel for him. He is however surrounded by the kind of care and love that allows him to make his peace with a world that seems to have turned against him.

The reality of being old and dying is brutal, but I left him with a warm feeling in my heart. For that I am grateful.
I am grateful to NetGalley and Transworld Publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Through this beautifully lyrical and tender writing, we meet Bo, an 89 year old man preparing to die with his beloved dog Sixten. Having 'lost' his wife Fredrika to dementia, Bo is clinging to his dog. Unfortunately his son Hans feels that Bo (and his random carers) cannot look after Sixten.
Through flashbacks, we learn of Bo's early life and relationship with his father and subsequent marriage.
This a heartbreaking but tender story of growing old and feeling scared and alone.
Having lost several family member sto dementia, illness and / or illness, I could so identify with this story.
Huge thanks to the author and NetGalley. for the chance to read this book, voted Book of the Year in Sweden.

A beautifully written book about a man in the final stages of his life.
A story about Bo, who lives alone with his dog Sixten. As he grows frailer and struggles to take care of him, his son Hans decides it will be for the best if they find him a new home.
A story about growing old, of losing your independence and having to rely on others to take care of you.
The way Bo’s life was told in between the notes left by his carers after each visit was so powerful and effective. A man who found it so difficult to share his emotions - I’m so glad he was finally able to tell his son how proud he was of him.
With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is one hell of an emotional read — raw, reflective, and deeply, deeply sad. It’s a quiet but powerful story about love, loss, ageing, and the painful reality of losing control over your own life.

The novel centres around Bo, an elderly and vulnerable 89-year-old man whose health and independence are steadily declining. His son Hans, convinced that it’s time, decides to rehome Bo’s beloved dog, Sixten — a decision that becomes symbolic of everything Bo is losing.

Bo spends most of his days napping on his daybed, visited by a rotation of carers who prepare meals and check on his well-being. Through Bo’s inner monologue and memories, we’re invited into his past — full of vibrant, joyful moments with his wife (now in a care home with dementia) and their son Hans as a child. These memories are warm and full of life, providing a painful contrast to the quiet loneliness and helplessness Bo feels in the present.

Lisa Ridzen writes with subtlety and care, never over-dramatising but letting the heartbreak speak for itself. It’s a story that doesn't shy away from the uncomfortable truths of getting old — the grief of losing a partner bit by bit, the frustration of frailty, and the heartbreak of no longer being seen as capable. But it’s also a story about dignity, about memory, and about holding on to the small things that still bring joy.

A beautifully written, poignant novel that will stay with you long after the final page. Not an easy read emotionally, but an important one.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest, unbiased review.

"I see two majestic birds flying low overhead. The first cranes of the year. I pause to watch them. Their powerful wings, rhythmically beating the air and carrying their large bodies forward. Before they fly south again, I promise myself, I'll have left this place."

Pretty sad but strangely calming, I love Bo and Sixten so much. Reminds me of A Man Called Ove, my favorite book, in a way.

This book will definitely pull at your heartstrings. Bo is portrayed as such a wonderful old man who has so much love for his family, his best friend and most of all his faithful companion his dog. It was very well written/translated and I especially enjoyed the diary entries of Bo’s home help/carers. Can’t wait to read more by this author.

Thanks to Random House UK and NetGalley for allowing me an advanced copy to read in exchange for my open and honest review. As always, my reviews will also be posted on Amazon, Goodreads and Waterstones and interaction on Facebook and instagram where possible.

I cried boy I cried so much reading this book. The emotion attached to it. It made me think about all the relationships I have with parents, children and friends. It’s such a heartwarming emotional sad lovely book all rolled into one.

This book brought back memories of caring for my mother-in-law at home until she died aged 99. It’s easy to become impatient with the elderly and not listen and recognise their fears and concerns. Bo’s story resonated with me. This is not a cheery story but it is an important one.

Thank you to NetGalley for my copy of When the Cranes Fly South by Liza Ridzén
A gentle story beautifully written about old age, families and relationships.
I could not put this down and sobbed when it ended.
A lovely read.

A deeply emotional and introspective journey, When the Cranes Fly South is a tender, aching portrayal of grief, change, and the silent beauty of letting go. This book sneaks up on you—soft and quiet at first—but before you know it, you’re caught in the storm of its emotion. With lyrical prose and profound depth, Ridzén crafts a story that lingers in your bones long after the final page. A must-read for lovers of raw, reflective literary fiction.

An intensely moving book about a man at the end of his life when everything he values is being stripped away from him. As a work of fiction, there is a great sadness at how his family and friends, his health and independence all fall or are taken away. Underpinning this storyline there is also a strong and equally moving sense of the importance of the way in which people at this stage of their life should be listened to and accommodated. An inevitable but beautifully written ending.

I knew, as soon as I read the synopsis, that this book would put me through the wringer emotionally, but I requested an ARC anyway. I wasn't wrong folks. I read parts of this book through eyes that were blurry with tears. By the end of the book, I was bawling like a baby. 😪
When the Cranes Fly South is a far cry from the type of books I usually read. (If you follow my reviews you'll know what I mean.)
This is a story of growing old, losing your independence and slowly losing control of your own body. Having nothing but time on your hands to reflect on your past life, the things you did, and the things you wish you had done. It's a tale of love and loss, through dementia rather than death. And it's the tale of one man's love for his dog and the sense of loss he feels when his dog is taken away from him. 😔
On a personal level, this book made me realise just how important it is to let those around us know how we feel about them so that we have no regrets come end time. I'm glad I got the chance to do that with my father before he passed. 😔
This book won't be everyone's cup of tea. I'm a sucker for books with dogs in them, even when I know they're going to make me cry like this one did. For all my tears though, I still enjoyed this beautifully written book, which read like an inner monologue interspersed with notes from the old man's caregivers.
Thanks to Random House UK and Netgalley for the digital ARC.

This book is a must read! It will play with your emotions, make you feel all sorts of happy and sad and then leave you bereft when you finish it!

Set in Sweden, Bo is an 80 something man living in a care home. His only visitors are the carers and his son, Hans and, occasionally, his granddaughter. Left with his memories Bo occasionally chats by phone to his old friend Ture to reminisce about the old days.

With his beloved dog, Sixten, by his side everything is ticking along but, as Bo becomes more tired and forgetful;, suddenly Hans decides that Sixten needs to go to a new home.

This is a short read and an excellent one. It's descriptive, poignant and a book I won't ever forget. I have to say this did reduce me to tears and I have only ever cried in two books previously (and I'm in my fifties!). It's magical, eloquent and will stay with you a long time after you turn the last page. Five stars and a huge thank you for the advanced copy!

"...𝒎𝒚 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒆𝒛𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒔 𝒅𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒚 𝒎𝒖𝒄𝒉 𝒘𝒆𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆. 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒅𝒓𝒐𝒑 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒃𝒊𝒓𝒅𝒔 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒌𝒚, 𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒏 𝒂 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆 𝒏𝒐 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒈𝒐𝒆𝒔."

A poignant tale of an elderly man’s battle to maintain independence near the end of his life. Our protagonist, Bo, often feels that the only one who truly understands him is his beloved dog, Sixten. However, his well-intentioned son believes Bo has become too frail to properly look after Sixten and wants to rehome him.

I defy you not to bawl like a baby reading this book. I found myself crying again just writing the above synopsis. This book was brought to my attention on Twitter (before I left it a couple of months ago) - someone shared a video of themselves saying it was the best book they’d ever read. Call me easily influenced but if someone says a book is the best thing I’ve ever read, I’m very inclined to read it myself. Not long after that, I noticed the book on NetGalley so of course I requested it.

When I tell you I ugly cried several times reading this, to the point that my husband suggested maybe I not put myself through it anymore! It is just a stunningly beautiful story, not only of the unparalleled love between a dog and its owner, but also of the heartbreak that aging can be. The story is told from Bo’s point of view, and while he often feels his son Hans is the villain, it is plain to see Bo’s best interests are what Hans always has in mind. What little comfort Bo gets besides Sixten’s companionship is when he allows himself to think of his wife, and the woman she was before Alzheimers made her forget both Bo and Hans.

Sometimes we read a book because we know we need to cry - this one is a guaranteed tearjerker. Highly recommend. One of my favourite books this year.

A touching story about a man at the end of his life. Bo’s beloved wife has dementia and is living in a home, and Bo now is alone with Sixten, his dog, and his memories. But Bo’s son Hans feels Bo is no longer capable of looking after the dog and, heartbreakingly, says he must be rehomed. Bo reflects on fatherhood- his own father was a brute and, although Bo was close to Hans when he was little, distance grew as his son grew older. Now, as he nears the end he has little strength to repair the relationship. His wife, who no longer knows who he is, is always in his thoughts. His friend, Ture, is also ageing but they keep in touch on the telephone and this is an occasional pleasure. The chapters are bookended by the notes his carers leave for each other (whether and what Bo has eaten, did he have a shower etc). It did make me reflect on Sweden’s state system (higher taxes and better care than you would receive in Britain), as the carers visit several times a day. Lisa Ridzén has written a compassionate and poignant novel which, despite the potentially depressing subject matter, manages to be both life affirming and joyful.