When the Cranes Fly South

This is the story of an elderly man named Bo, living out the final months of his life in his small village in rural Sweden. Bo is narrating his days and his thoughts about them to his wife Fredrika, though she's not there to here him—she's living in a care home nearby, because of her advanced dementia. In the opening lines, we learn that Bo's son Hans thinks that Bo can no longer care for his beloved dog Sixten, which prompts a reckoning of sorts for Bo—about the reality of his declining physical capabilities and his relationships with his loved ones, particularly his imperfect relationship with Hans and his heartbreaking relationship with his abusive father. Most of the book is from Bo's perspective, but the intercut care log notes from Hans and members of Bo's elder care team made the book for me. Translated from the Swedish by Alice Menzies; I listened to the audio narrated by Ifan Huw Dafydd.