Life Agreement

Fredric Backman

A man who has conquered everything that most people just dream of - business, real estate, property - is battling cancer. In the hospital he makes an account of his life. Successes in business are followed by failures in personal relationships, and especially in the relationship with his son.

A five-year-old girl is being treated at the same hospital, who spends her time painting, so she will be able to overcome the disease. He has understood of course that this is impossible, but he continues, to give courage to the adults.

On Christmas Eve, the man realizes that he can reverse the fate of the little one and decides to do everything in his power to save her. To do so he must first find out if his own life really had any value; his son is the only one who can give the answer.

With this tender story, Buckman reminds us that life is an unexpected gift; what we leave behind depends on how we have shared our lives with those we have loved.