Summary

"To my son," the first passage of the novel, is a two-page apology addressed to the son of the author, who goes unnamed. He apologizes for the mistakes he has already made as a parent as well as the ones he will make in the future. He also apologizes for the embarrassment that he will cause his son over the course of his adolescent life, and for all the disagreements they will have. Most importantly, he wants his son to know that everything he does is out of an unconditional love and passion for being his father.

In the following chapter, "What you need to know about motion-sensitive bathroom lights," Backman explains that much of his son's first 18 months has been focused around poop. The logistics, timing and even metaphysical experience of poop are...