The Deal of a Lifetime
In this short story enhanced with beautiful illustrations, the bestselling author of A Man Called Ove, Beartown, and Anxious People delivers an insightful and poignant tale about finding out what is truly important in life.
A father and a son are seeing each other for the first time in years. The father has a story to share before it’s too late. He tells his son about a courageous little girl lying in a hospital bed a few miles away. She’s a smart kid—smart enough to know that she won’t beat cancer by drawing with crayons all day, but it seems to make the adults happy, so she keeps doing it.
As he talks about this plucky little girl, the father also reveals more about himself: his triumphs in business, his failures as a parent, his past regrets, his hopes for the future.
Now, on a cold winter’s night, the father has been given an unexpected chance to do something remarkable that could change the destiny of a little girl he hardly knows. But before he can make the deal of a lifetime, he must find out what his own life has actually been worth, and only his son can reveal that answer.
With humor and compassion, Fredrik Backman’s The Deal of a Lifetime reminds us that life is a fleeting gift, and our legacy rests in how we share that gift with others.
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Community Reviews
I've read several books by Backman and have liked them all (4 or 5 stars) but this one was a big miss. I know I'm in the minority here and since I really enjoyed so many others by this author, I'm hoping this is just a one off. First off, don't be fooled by the cover. This is not a short, sweet Christmas story. Rather it is depressing and sad and at times I wasn't even sure if he was telling more than one story. It is short; read it in 30-45 min, and has childlike drawings so it was quick to get through.
“All leaders, all of your heroes, they’ve been obsessed…A second is always a second; that’s the one definitive value we have on earth. Everyone is always negotiating, all of the time. You’re doing the deal of your life, every day. This was mine…I failed with you. I tried to make you tough. You ended up kind…You never tried to find a life, you were in the right place from the start…Home. It was our town then, finally, yours and mine. And that was good enough. You’ll wake up soon. It’s Christmas Eve morning. And I loved you.” Fredrik Backman’s holiday novella is The Deal of a Lifetime–priceless!