The following version of this novella was used to create this study guide: Backman, Fredrik. And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer. English translation. Atria Books, 2016.

And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer is a novella by Fredrik Backman that revolves around the relationship between Noah and Grandpa as Grandpa’s memory begins to fade. The plot of the novel is simple: Grandpa, while seeking to take the boat out on the lake with Noah, falls and hits his head. This requires Ted (Noah’s Dad) to be called for, who in turn will bring Grandpa to the hospital. During the course of these events, several days pass, which bleed together from one set of events to the next, while Grandpa struggles to recall the past and keep his identity.

Much of the novella occurs in the square (essentially the town square) of Grandpa’s mind and memory. There, Grandpa and Noah sit on a bench and talk – with some of the conversations actually being real and simply being blurred together with Grandpa’s imaginings and struggles to remember. The square is full of familiar things –such as hyacinths, grown by Grandma, now long dead. Grandpa’s struggle to remember is made all the more heartbreaking because Grandpa is a firm believer in the precision of mathematics. Everything must make sense. However, Grandpa’s fading memory means that not everything always makes sense, and this becomes especially frustrating to Grandpa. Noah does his best to comfort and remind Grandpa of the past, such as a camping trip, while Grandpa considers Noah to be the highlight of his life.

As Grandpa struggles to remember, he returns to the age of 16 alongside his wife, who also reverts to the age of 16, and they recount and share their love. Whereas Grandpa is all about science and mathematics, Grandma is more faithful, emotional, and accepting. For example, Grandma believes in God, while Grandpa can only hope he is real. Grandpa explains the road to remembering who he is gets longer and longer each day. Grandpa even tells Noah that one day, he will be unable to remember anything, and so Noah must say goodbye and never look back. As Grandpa continues to decline, Noah and his Dad discuss what they can do for Grandpa. Dad reminds Noah that they must simply keep him company on the long road. Years later, Noah takes his own daughter camping, and reflects fondly on Grandpa.