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When the Cranes Fly South

Lisa Ridzén Alice Menzies

$24.99

Paperback

Forthcoming
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Swedish
Penguin (Transworld)
03 March 2026
The phenomenal word of mouth bestseller, shortlisted for the Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize, winner of 5 awards in Sweden including the Swedish Book of the Year and the Swedish Booksellers prize, with rights sold in 44 territories. Uplifting, deeply moving, emotional - this book will stay with you in a remarkable way.

THE PHENOMENAL SUNDAY TIMES WORD-OF-MOUTH BESTSELLER. A profoundly moving and life-affirming novel about the multitude of stories contained within a life, and the big things for which we have no words.

'So heartbreaking and funny and beautiful and wise... an extraordinary book' RICHARD OSMAN

'You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll want to buy twenty copies and give them to everyone you love' FREDRIK BACKMAN

'The most moving book I've ever read.' JACQUELINE WILSON

Shortlisted for the Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize & Waterstones Book of the Month

Bo is determined to live his own life in his own way. But his son has other ideas...

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, 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...

'A novel anyone will take to heart' Patrick Gale, Guardian

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

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'

'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'

'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'
By:  
Translated by:  
Imprint:   Penguin (Transworld)
Country of Publication:   United Kingdom
Dimensions:   Height: 196mm,  Width: 128mm,  Spine: 20mm
Weight:   223g
ISBN:   9781804995808
ISBN 10:   1804995800
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 38 languages around the world.

Reviews for When the Cranes Fly South

This empathetic Swedish bestseller is a poignant, quietly devastating meditation on old age. * Mail on Sunday * This profoundly moving novel is sure to melt you into tears faster than a Cornetto in the sunshine ... Poignant, beautifully written and guaranteed to spark introspection. * Woman & Home * Meditations on memory and fatherhood underpin this tender tale about a man defending his right to live independently. * Financial Times * There are not many novels that I want to tell you that you should read, but this is one of them. It is a novel about family, how our history shapes our present, and the many different forms that love can take. This is a beautiful and gentle novel about an honest and relatable man who simply wants to live quietly with his dog, and I won’t ever forget it. * NB Magazine * Once you’ve read this beautiful and deeply emotional story, you’ll want to pass it on to someone you love. * Fabulous Magazine * 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 * When the Cranes Fly South really touched me... and Sixten completely stole my heart. This story felt universal and timeless – it’s about love and death and family and friendship. Everything that makes us human. * Josie Ferguson, author of The Silence in Between * 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 * This was a magical reading experience; among the most moving things I’ve ever read. The characters have lived on in my mind since I turned the final page, and I know this novel will always have a place in my heart. * Camilla Läckberg, No.1 internationally bestselling author *


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