This is my first Backman that I have successfully finished. I tried A Man Called Ove years ago and only got halfway through because I just couldn’t handle the subject matter. Turns out, my little empath heart couldn’t really handle this one either, but the audiobook was so good, I got through it. The complicated layers of this story and the dynamic nature of these characters are what I love the most. Couple that with the banter between the older Ted and the younger Louisa, those moments provided such a breath of fresh air against the heavy themes and topics of the book. This one will definitely sit with me for awhile.