Author: Fredrik Backman
Genre: Fiction
Summary:
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, 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.
(amazon.com)
I received this book as a gift from my grandmother last September and just picked it up for the first time about two weeks ago. It has been at the bottom of my “must read” pile because usually I am drawn towards the type of fiction where there is some sort of mystery involved. I love a good action scene and especially enjoy when there is an unexpected twist at the end of a chapter or book as a whole. It is within these stories that I completely lose myself and my own thoughts and become immersed in the world of the characters I am reading about.
A Man Called Ove was not one of these stories. There were no murders, abductions, or chapter-ending twists. There was no REAL action, and yet I found myself unable to tear away from the simultaneously heartwarming and heartbreaking story of Ove.
A Man Called Ove is a story about life. It is simple in its language, reflective of the story it is telling of a man who prefers simplicity and predictability over adventure. Without spoiling anything for those of you who may want to read this book, (which I hope you all do!) there are some points of high stress and mild action in the story, but the majority of it is a narrative of Ove’s life and the events that shaped him into the man he is. It would have been very easy for this book to fall flat, leaving the reader with a collection of details and information about Ove but no attachment to his character. But it didn’t.
Each detail and portion of Ove’s life, both past and present, that was presented to me as the reader turned out to be relevant. Even the most seemingly mundane details were ones that got me invested in Ove and curious about his demeanor, actions and way of life.
Sometimes reading a story about life and relatable events, like the ones recounted in this story, impacts us more than a far-fetched mystery. Don’t get me wrong, as I said I love a good mystery story but it was refreshing to read something so raw and real this time around. In my opinion, a major goal of the reader after completing A Man Called Ove is to understand a misunderstood character, who has been beaten down in every possible way but still manages to have a beautiful, albeit somewhat dysfunctional life. The bits of wisdom presented in such simplistic terms also add a punch to each line and paragraph, making you pause and think as the reader. This was perhaps my favorite part of the experience.
I think Ove is a character we can all relate to in that way and I think that’s what makes this book so special. Trust me, it may take a little time to warm up to him but by the end of this book you’ll be rooting for him. I guess that’s what we all want in a way. We all go through life and deal with the ups and downs and the curveballs thrown at us, just like Ove. However, in the end all we want is to be
appreciated, understood and have done something worthwhile.
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