Bo

Bo is the protagonist and narrates the novel to his dementia-addled wife, Frederika. The novel depicts the last months of his life as he tries to come to terms with his ever declining body. He wants to stay as independent as possible, but those who love him want to keep him safe. Neither party seems able to understand the needs of the other.

Bo has a difficult time accepting his limitations. He has been a hard worker all his life and is independent. Now with his son and the caregivers dictating much of his life, he has almost no control over anything. To gain some semblance of control, he stops eating for a couple of days, but then he puts that to the side. He ends up endangering himself and his dog, Sixten, by trying to care for the dog longer than he feasibly can.

Bo has a...