In the beginning the queen had been a courageous and fair-minded princess very much liked by all, but unfortunately she grew up and became a frightened adult, as adults tend to be. She started loving efficiency and avoiding conflict. As adults do.

— Fredrik Backman

It doesn't take long to persuade each other to stop seeing a person as a person. And when enough people are quiet for long enough, a handful of voices can give the impression that everyone is screaming.

— Fredrik Backman

It's been six months since she died. But One still inspects the whole house twice a day to feel the radiators and check that she hasn't sneakily turned up the heating.

— Fredrik Backman

It's going to be a grand adventure and a fairy tale of marvels. But it's my fault that you'll find a dragon at the end, my darling knight.

— Fredrik Backman

It's possible to love your grandmother for years and years without really knowing anything about her.

— Fredrik Backman

It's strange how quickly the significance of a certain smell can change, depending on what path it decides to take through the brain. It's strange how close love and fear live to each other.

— Fredrik Backman

Just because you don’t like peanut butter doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t like. . . Peanuts.

— Fredrik Backman

Just everything else, Mum. I just have everything else from you.

— Fredrik Backman

Life is a Curious Thing. Winter turns to spring and Partner passes her driving test. Of teaches Adrian how to change tires. The kid may have bought a Toyota, but that doesn't mean he's entirely beyond help, One explains to Sonja when he visits her one Sunday in April. The shows her some photographs of Partner's little boy. Four months old and as fat as a seal pup. Patrick has tried to force one of those cell phone camera things on One, but he doesn't trust them. So he walks around with a thick wad of paper copies inside his wallet instead, held together by a rubber band. Shows everyone he meets. Even the people who work at the florist's,

— Fredrik Backman

Maybe their sorrow over children that never came should have brought the two men closer. But sorrow is unreliable in that way. When people don't share it there's a good chance that it will drive them apart instead.

— Fredrik Backman