A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

A MAN CALLED OVE
by Fredrik Backman

Atria Books
July 15, 2014

From Goodreads:

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, 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.

Books like this are what keep me coming back to reading challenges. Lots of books are on my radar, but might not make it to my bookshelf. Then a reading challenge has me looking for a book set in Scandinavia and here we are. A book I didn’t really intend on reading and it ends up being a 5-star read with potential for my favourite book of the year!

Through and through, this is a character book. The plot is almost non-existent, which you might think is a criticism, but I assure you it’s not. Not when the characters shine so brightly that you can’t see anything else anyway. And shining brighter than any other, as I’m sure you’ve already guessed, is Ove.

Ove (pronounced Oova) will most likely remind you of someone in your own life. Set in his ways, opinions carved in stone, doesn’t understand anyone else’s way of thinking and doesn’t care to. Anyone who doesn’t do things his way is an idiot. He has what he likes and likes what he has. But that’s just the side of him he allows the world to see.

As you get to know Ove, you see deeper. The sadness. The kindness. And then you start wishing Ove was a real person so you could find him and give him a big hug. A hug that he would act like he very much hated.

‘Delighted’ is how I would describe my feelings through the majority of this book; a small smile plastered to my face the whole time, peppered with chuckles and full out laughs. And after the last page was read and the book at an end, I found myself speechless and happy. I can’t remember the last time a book left me feeling so completely and utterly satisfied. I couldn’t think of a single thing I didn’t like, or anything that could improve in any way. It is a genuine masterpiece.

I don’t think there’s such a thing as a perfect book, but this one just might be as close as I’ve ever read.

Fun fact about this post: Without the audiobook I don’t think I ever would have realized Ove is pronounced Oova