Now Read This: “And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer,” by Fredrik Backman

One of my greatest fears is getting old — not that I’m scared of creaky bones or the struggle of escaping a particularly plushy couch; these occurrences may be a bit annoying, but neither of them compares to the terror of losing my mental faculties as I age. Fredrik Backman shares a similar fear in the foreword of his novella “And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer.” In this novella, Backman explores his own fear of losing his imagination before his body fails him. To do this, he delves into the mind of an unnamed protagonist with Alzheimer’s — a character who literally watches more of his memories fade away.

Backman’s portrayal of Alzheimer’s is unique because he interprets this abstract loss of cognitive function in a tangible way, allowing his readers to see the world inside the protagonist’s mind. In this world, which centers around a bench in a small square, the man watches his memories blowing away in the wind and collapsing like ruined buildings. Even as this square shrinks and his mind becomes less stable, the man is dragged back to himself through the efforts of his son, Ted, and his grandson, Noah.

This story flits back and forth between the fictional square and reality, showing the man’s interactions with both his son and grandson, as well as the way all three of them wrestle with the effects of this disease. Although Backman conveys the hopelessness and heartache Alzheimer’s causes in its victims and their families, he steps beyond this to show the strength of this family’s love, which helps them accept their difficult situation. I recommend this book because of the uncommon viewpoint Backman uses to present this story and the strong emotions — both sad and endearing — this tale has the power to evoke in readers.

Backman has written a number of other books, including “A Man Called Ove” and “Britt-Marie Was Here.” If you are looking for a similar title by a different author, you might try “Above the East China Sea” by Sarah Bird, which follows a teenage girl who searches for a means to deal with her grief by learning about her grandmother’s story. These titles can be found in print at the library, and Backman’s books are also accessible as audiobooks.