When the Cranes Fly South, Lisa Ridzen
When the Cranes Fly South, Lisa Ridzen
List: $20.00 | Sale: $14.00
Club: $10.00

When the Cranes Fly South

Author: Lisa Ridzén, Alice Menzies

Narrator: Ifan Huw Dafydd

Unabridged: 7 hr 24 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 08/19/2025

Categories: Fiction, Friendship, Animals

Synopsis

INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER • WINNER OF THE SWEDISH BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD • A profoundly moving debut novel that follows an elderly man’s attempts to mend his relationship with his son before it’s too late: an emotional story of love, friendship, fatherhood, dogs, and atonement that is already an international sensation.

"One of those ‘you’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll want to buy twenty copies and give them to everyone you love’ books.” —Fredrik Backman, bestselling author of A Man Called Ove, in The New Yorker

“So heartbreaking and funny and beautiful and wise. . . . An extraordinary book.” —Richard Osman, author of the New York Times Bestselling Thursday Murder Club series

Bo is running out of time. Yet time is one of the few things he’s got left. These days, his quiet existence is broken up only by daily visits from his home care team. Fortunately, he still has his beloved elkhound Sixten to keep him company … though now his son, with whom Bo has had a rocky relationship, insists upon taking the dog away, claiming that Bo has grown too old to properly care for him. The threat of losing Sixten stirs up a whirlwind of emotion, leading Bo to take stock of his life, his relationships, and the imperfect way he’s expressed his love over the years.

About The Author

Lisa Ridzén is a doctoral student in sociology, researching masculinity norms in the rural communities of the Swedish far north, where she herself was raised and now lives in a small village outside of Östersund. The idea for her debut novel came from the discovery of notes her grandfather’s care team had left the family as he neared the end of his life.Alice Menzies holds a master of arts in Translation Theory and Practice from University College London, specializing in the Scandinavian languages. Her translations include works by Jonas Hassen Khemiri, Fredrik Backman, Tove Alsterdal and Jens Liljestrand. She lives in London.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Farda on January 05, 2025

5 stars I ugly cried. Damn, this was so sad and felt so real. This book made me feel so vulnerable as a human. It made me think about my parents getting older, about my future self if I grow old. Would I be like that? Wearing a nappy, unable to shower alone and would my kids still visit me? It made me......more

Goodreads review by JanB on August 09, 2025

Eight years ago I spent a couple of years volunteering at hospice with my two sweet therapy dogs. One exercise in my hospice training was when we wrote down 10-12 things that were important to us on slips of paper. One by one, we had to choose which one to remove. The devastation I felt as each slip......more

Goodreads review by Canadian Jen on August 29, 2025

A man, a son, a dog. The man is old. Likely won’t be long before he is gone. His mind is sharp but his body is failing. He sleeps a ton and has caregivers come in throughout the day. His son visits regularly but wants him to give up his dog, Sixten. But the dog is his lifeline. As the days go by, he w......more

Goodreads review by Karen on July 15, 2025

This is a best seller in Sweden. A heartbreaking yet beautiful story of an elderly man, Bo..89..memory and mobility issues, living in northern rural Sweden…who just wants to spend his days with his dog Sixten. Bo’s wife is in a home as she has dementia. Bo has caregivers during the day but his son Hans......more

Goodreads review by Terrie on August 19, 2025

HAPPY PUBLICATION DAY 8/19/25!!! I felt the depth and intensity of this story early in... 89-year-old Bo is our main character, and, except for caregivers scheduled periodically throughout the day, he lives alone with his elkhound, Sixten. Bo is constantly talking in his head to his wife, Fredrika......more

Quotes

Praise for When the Cranes Fly South

“So heartbreaking and funny and beautiful and wise. . . . An extraordinary book.”
—Richard Osman, author of the New York Times Bestselling Thursday Murder Club series

“A simple yet effective meditation on mortality, love and care. . . . Anyone anywhere who has worried for a crumbling parent, or worried about the crumble in themselves, or simply worried that their dog understood them better than their family, will identify with Ridzén’s novel and take it to heart.”
—The Guardian (London)

“A powerful, sneakily emotional meditation on life and death, and the foundational relationships in our lives. This is a book that will echo in your soul.”
—Garth Stein, New York Times bestselling author of The Art of Racing in the Rain

“A tender tale about aging, our own and others', and the quiet brutality of love. About what being a man is, and what being a human is, about fathers and sons and fathers and dogs. It’s really a book for anyone who’s had to say goodbye. The kind of book you give to someone when you’re really trying to say 'I’ve been thinking about you' but don’t know how.”
—Fredrik Backman, #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Man Called Ove

“Engaging. . . . Moving. . . . Readers will laugh and cry. In Bo, Ridzén has created a character who can evoke empathy in anyone.”
—Library Journal (starred review)

Add to Cart
Add to Wish List