A Man Called Ove

Heartwarming is not usually a word I use to describe books that I’ve read and enjoyed (or something I look for in my reading material, honestly), but it’s impossible not to be charmed by the hapless neuroses of our titular protagonist, Ove. Either we all know an “Ove” or we are him, so it’s hard not to be intrigued for a character who’s so perfectly written and even more so not to fall for his curmudgeonly (but well-meaning) ways. In many ways the book itself is completely expected - obviously the new neighbours and the Cat are easy devices to get Ove to change his world view and give him a new lease on life - but seeing Ove’s suicide attempts get foiled over and over and seeing him get more involved with his neighbourhood show more to right the wrongs of the world is immensely comic and satisfying. Paired artfully with the current events the author slowly reveals Ove’s backstory as well, which makes for a very well-rounded character and a very realistic story of a life lived. show less

A grumpy yet loveable man finds his solitary world turned on its head when a boisterous young family moves in next door.

Meet Ove. He's a curmudgeon, the kind of man who points at people he dislikes as if they were burglars caught outside his bedroom window. He has staunch principles, strict routines, and a short fuse. People call him the bitter neighbor from hell, but must Ove be bitter just because he doesn't walk around with a smile plastered to his face all the time?

Behind the cranky exterior there is a story and a sadness. So when one November morning a chatty young couple with two chatty young daughters move in next door and accidentally flatten Ove's mailbox, it is the lead-in to a comical and heartwarming tale of unkempt cats, show more unexpected friendship, and the ancient art of backing up a U-Haul. All of which will change one cranky old man and a local residents' association to their very foundations. show less

Take out your hankies, because this one is a doozy!

“We always think there's enough time to do things with other people. Time to say things to them. And then something happens and then we stand there holding on to words like 'if'.”

Some books make me tear up, some books made me cry, and some books make me wail like a baby. The man called Ove is definitely in that last category. I had trouble seeing the last couple of pages of this book I was crying so hard. did this book break my heart? Absolutely! But in the best possible way.

“Ove had never been asked how he lived before he met her. But if anyone had asked him, he would have answered that he didn’t.”

​But don't be fooled, Ove is not the most likable character ever. If show more anything he is very much on the opposite spectrum. He is set in his ways, he is extremely grumpy and unsociable, and other people to him are either idiots or nuisance, but mostly just idiots.

Now, I love characters like that. Love them! Quirky, weird, unsociable - you name it, I'm here for it. But even for me Ove was hard to handle at times. He wanted to be right even if he was wrong, and sometimes I just wanted to smack him. And no, there wasn't a magical transformation - Ove didn't become a social butterfly, or a lovable old man - he stayed himself, truly and unapologetically himself, just better. And I absolutely loved that.

“He was a man of black and white. And she was color. All the color he had.”

I don't remember how I stumbled upon this book on Goodreads, but I'm so happy that I did, because now I want to read more books by Fredrik Backman, even more so because he is a foreign author. And one of my 2018 resolutions is to read more from non-american authors. The translation was pretty good for it didn't feel like a translated book, it was smooth and flowy, albeit a bit dry, but I think that is the Backman's style.

The thing that surprised me the most, and probably produced the most of the tears, was how at the end I realized that Parvaneh needed him as much as he needed her. This book was just so beautiful on so many levels. Okay, just thinking about it makes me tear up, damn you Backman and your emotional writing!

I absolutely recommend The man called Ove - the book is full of emotions and life lessons. It dives deep into the nature of loss and grief and how we, as humans try to deal with it, each in out own ways. show less

On a rare day off from work, I popped into my local library and snatched this book off the shelf - it must have just come in as I was the first person to check it out. I had already read Fredrik Backman's second book, My Grandmother Sends Her Regards and Apologises, and loved it, so naturally I had A Man Called Ove in my wishlist.

I really love the cover of this - it almost tells the story in its own right. Grumpy old man and the Cat Annoyance. I felt that the cat was a bit of a Jiminy Cricket for Ove, turning up at just the right moments and "saying" just the right things with its actions. I think of Ove as a bit of an egg (and not just because the name Ove reminds me of the word "oeuf") hard and solid on the outside but soft on the show more inside. It was lovely to see the cracks starting to appear, brought on my Ove's relationships with the cat, his pregnant neighbour Parvaneh and the local youth Adrian, to name but a few. There were some very funny and poignant moments in the book and I won't spoil any of them here - you'll just have to read it for yourself.

To me, it's very much a modern telling of It's a Wonderful Life. Ove thinks he's on his own and has nothing to live for and nobody to miss him. I loved reading about Ove's interactions with every single character in this book, it's clear from the wonderful writing that Ove has touched many lives. He is such a principled man, with almost a childlike innocence at times - like when he meets Adrian's friend and boss, Mirsad, he certainly won't win any awards for political correctness!

I did shed a few tears when I was reading this book, but it has left me with a lovely warm glow around my heart. I think sometimes we see grumpy, miserable, or angry people and make an immediate assumption, without questioning the reasons behind their attitude. It's a wonderful portrayal of the human spirit and I think deep down we all have a bit of Ove in us.

The kindest grumpiest guy I expect I'll ever read about. I absolutely loved it! show less

What a brilliant book this was - nothing has made me laugh and cry at the same time as much since “The Fault in our Stars”. At first I expected nothing more than a series of vignettes in which the eponymous Ove would apply his particular brand of righteous grumpiness to different facets of modern life. I would have been OK with that - the first chapter alone established that the author’s witty style was entertaining enough to compensate for any lack of plot. So when a plot actually emerged I was even more delighted.

It could have been so different - there were things that could easily have become annoying. The preponderance of slapstick, the new neighbour with absolutely no boundaries, the laudable but clunky AF scene in the cafe show more in which the author seeks to place Ove within a politically correct sphere of grumpiness (ie he is NOT A BIGOT, okay??). The quality of the writing brushes away such concerns and brings the whole thing to a new level. Such inventive use of language (the guy with the expression on his face that suggested he expected everyone to start firing elastic bands at him was a classic). And I read the last few chapters through a wash of tears. Amazing book - in a time when everything I read rightly or wrongly puts me in mind of something else I’ve read, this one stands alone. show less

Backman deftly explores themes of loneliness, aging, death, acceptance and the importance of friendship through his quirky protagonist—Ove. Ove is a grumpy old man living in a Swedish estate. He is an introvert who relates to people through strict enforcement of rules and his compulsive need to do things the right way. He has recently lost his beloved wife—Sonja, who was the only person who really understood him. His despair and grief are profound resulting in rejection of the world with suicidal thoughts and actions. Backman deals with this grim situation in a light-hearted and humorous way by showing Ove’s numerous attempts at suicide, which fail because of the interruption of people in need. Despite his despair and rejection of show more life, Ove is drawn back into life by his neighbors and various acquaintances, who he is compelled to help because of his perception of them as incompetent.

Backman has created a delightful character in Ove. Despite being OCD and extremely fussy, he is likeable. The story is told non-linearly with flashbacks to his life with Sonja and his rocky relationship with Rune—his only friend in the neighborhood. Backman has created a charming cast of characters who are instrumental in bringing Ove out of his grief. The most notable among them are his pregnant Iranian neighbor and her family, a young homosexual boy who is rejected by his father, a young man who is diligently trying to make his way in the world and a stray cat. Backman has created a gem. show less

When you begin this novel, you meet a crusty old Swede named Ove who lives like a hermit and never seems to have a kind word to say to anyone. He may even be a highly functioning person with autism spectrum disorder. We meet him as he's trying to buy an iPad, though he clearly has no knowledge of anything related to computers and is likely the most frustrating and nasty person the salespeople have ever met.

There begins the slow unraveling of Ove's life. Each chapter is a beautifully written gem -- revealing some small part of Ove's life, both past and present. Like his new Iranian neighbors who force themselves into his solitude. Or, the old couple across the street, who used to be Ove's close friends and are are fighting the husband's show more move to a nursing facility. Or, the single mother and her overweight son who live down the street. All of these people come to play significant roles in Ove's story, against his better judgement.

This book is one of those rare treats you won't want to end. Skillfully written, humorous, and emotionally rich -- you will laugh often and cry when it ends. Enjoy! show less