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When the Cranes Fly South

Lisa Ridzén

$42.99

Paperback

Forthcoming
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Swedish
Doubleday
15 June 2025
The Swedish phenomenal NUMBER 1 Bestseller, winner of 5 awards including the Swedish Book of the Year and the Swedish Booksellers prize, with rights sold in 36 territories. A moving debut about an ageing man's fight to keep the power over his own life for fans of A MAN CALLED OVE and REMARKABLY BRIGHT CREATURES

Discover the tender and uplifting international number one bestseller. A book to love, a book to share.

'One of those \""you'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll want to buy twenty copies and give them to everyone you love\"" books' New Yorker

'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, bestselling author of A Man Called Ove

NUMBER ONE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER WINNER OF THE SWEDISH BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNER OF THE SWEDISH BOOKSELLERS PRIZE

'A magical reading experience; among the most moving things I've ever read' No.1 internationally bestselling author Camilla L ckberg

'A book that will echo in your soul' Garth Stein, bestselling author of The Art of Racing in the Rain

Bo lives a quiet existence in his small rural village in the north of Sweden. He is elderly and his days are punctuated by visits from his care team and his son.

Fortunately, he still has his rich memories, phone calls with his best friend Ture, and his beloved dog Sixten for company.

Only now his son is insisting the dog must be taken away. The very same son that Bo is wanting to mend his relationship with before his time is up. The threat of losing Sixten stirs up a whirlwind of emotions and makes Bo determined to resist and find his voice.

An instant number one bestseller in Sweden and winner of the Swedish Book of the Year, When the Cranes Fly South is a profoundly moving and life-affirming novel about one man's desire to preserve his autonomy, the multitude of stories contained within a life, and the big things for which we have no words.

Readers love When the Cranes Fly South-

'What makes this novel truly remarkable is the way it explores universal themes...readers will find themselves deeply connected to

Bo's

journey of emotional reckoning'

'It is impossible not to be moved by this book'

'A must read of 2025'

'This is not just a story about a man and his dog; it's a story of family, of relationships tested by time and distance, and the effort to find peace within the limits of one's existence'

'Wow, what a masterpiece, I am speechless and have a new all-time favourite book!'

'A story that will connect to all of us in some way'

'Not only touches the heart but also invites deep reflection on what it means to truly live and love'

'So incredibly emotional, poignant, touching, and sad. But also very warm'

'A book that will stay with you for a long time'

'Such a beautiful description of people and life and relationships'

'A book about life, about generations, about being... you'
By:  
Imprint:   Doubleday
Country of Publication:   United Kingdom
Dimensions:   Height: 216mm,  Width: 137mm,  Spine: 25mm
Weight:   327g
ISBN:   9781529942200
ISBN 10:   1529942209
Pages:   320
Publication Date:  
Audience:   General/trade ,  ELT Advanced
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Forthcoming

The idea for Lisa Ridzen's heartrending debut When the Cranes Fly South came to her through the discovery of notes her Grandfather's care team had left the family as he neared the end of his life. She was also inspired by her research into masculinity in the rural communities of the Swedish far north, where she herself was raised and now lives in a small village outside stersund. Lisa began penning the novel whilst attending L ngholmen Writer's Academy. When the Cranes Fly South was a number one bestseller in Sweden, won the overall Swedish Book of the Year, and the Adlibris prize both for Debut and Fiction of the Year - the first time in the awards' history that an author won in two categories. Rights have sold in 34 languages around the world.

Reviews for When the Cranes Fly South

A tender tale about ageing, 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, No. 1 New York Times bestselling author of A Man Called Ove * This novel is irresistible. So tender and moving. It’s as if Fredrik Backman’s Ove had a love child with Åsa Larsson’s Sivving – and the result is the most wonderful thing imaginable. Read it. * Malin Persson Giolito, internationally bestselling author of Quicksand and Beyond all reasonable doubt * 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 *


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