I like the way the translated version of the title sets up a tension between the image of a biddable older woman and breaking the rules. All the best titles hold some contradictions I believe. And here is an older woman, not the stereotype of the little old lady, who is not afraid to stand up for herself and for others and to create a community of older activists in the process. A great basis for a novel about an older woman. This is the second of my guest posts, by another writer friend who responded to my request for examples of older women in fiction and got herself volunteered.

The Little Old Lady who Broke all the Rules

Here is a little old lady who fights back. Martha is no passive acceptor of whatever is thrown at her by life. She takes an active part in shaping her future and that of her friends.

When greedy new owners force cutbacks to staff and services, Martha Andersson decides that conditions in prison would be preferable to those endured by the inmates of the Diamond House Retirement Home. A lack of outings, microwaved meals and a cocktail of appetite suppressants and sedatives make doing time seem a luxury to the residents. Spurred on by a hidden stash of cloudberry liqueur, Martha encourages her friends to form the League of Pensioners and to embark on an adventure. Together they set off to commit a crime that will get them banged up.  

Although Martha is a 79 year old lady who knits and uses a Zimmer frame, she is portrayed as a woman who is so much more than just that. She has a past life with skills that can be utilised to help her overcome the present crisis. She has a strong character that inspires her to want to fight injustice, a logical mind and an imagination. She is so much more than ‘a little old lady’. While medication may have masked the talents of Martha and her friends, it has not robbed them of their ability to remember the people they were – and still are. Within the limitations that age has inflicted (an ability to forget things and slower reactions) Martha wrestles with her problems and comes up with ingenious solutions that utilises the talents of her friends in League.

While occasionally disbelief must be suspended, Martha is portrayed as a real and likeable character. The plot is funny and shows us people who are having relationships, who worry about how they look and what they’re going to eat. They bicker and gripe but mostly they rise to the challenge. Despite their crimes I found that I was on their side and their honourable intentions were enough to carry me through to the end. It is interesting that the original title in Swedish offers no inkling as to the age of the protagonist. It may be that the change of title was made because of our fixed ideas about what ‘little old ladies’ should be doing in their twilight years.

The book raises questions about what we expect from ‘old people’ and whether dignity should be a right. It shows how easy it may be to sit back and accept a restricted life and limited opportunities as part of ‘growing old’ never questioning whether something better is possible. Worse may be the ease with which we (i.e. younger than ‘old’) accept that prognosis for others – defining them by their years not their ability. Although it is greed that has sparked the changes in the Diamond House Retirement Home, the book raises questions about the standard of care offered in so many of our own retirement homes where cost cutting is biting into the normal stuff that we, who consider ourselves to be less than ‘old’, may take for granted. Read in the present light of questioning whether it is wise to write people off just because they are old or infirm, this book gently highlights some thoughts on the matter. Martha shows that by utilising people’s changing abilities and encouraging adapted skills, great things can be achieved.

It is a book that I would strongly recommend. It is light and easy to read with a humour that underlines the most serious of questions. Martha is a likeable character who bravely battles the system but she, and her friends, also show acceptance of other people’s foibles whether these are caused by old age or just part of being human. While the book has a tremendous feel-good factor, it gently gets you thinking.

The Little Old Lady who Broke all the Rules by Catharina Ingelman-Sundberg. First published in 2012 by Bokfürlager Forum, Sweden under the title Kaffe med Rån (Coffee with Robbery). This edition published in 2014 by Pan Books. Translated by Rod Bradbury.

Guest post written by Carole Ellis