BOOK REVIEW: A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
(Translated by Henning Koch)

Genre: Adult Fiction

My Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Page

Spoiler Free Summary:

At first sight, Ove is almost certainly the grumpiest man you will ever meet. He thinks himself surrounded by idiots - neighbours who can't reverse a trailer properly, joggers, shop assistants who talk in code, and the perpetrators of the vicious coup d'état that ousted him as Chairman of the Residents' Association. He will persist in making his daily inspection rounds of the local streets.

But isn't it rare, these days, to find such old-fashioned clarity of belief and deed? Such unswerving conviction about what the world should be, and a lifelong dedication to making it just so? In the end, you will see, there is something about Ove that is quite irresistible.

The word-of-mouth bestseller causing a sensation across Europe, Fredrik Backman's heartwarming debut is a funny, moving, uplifting tale of love and community that will leave you with a spring in your step - and less ready to judge on first impressions a man you might one day wish to have as your dearest friend

**Spoiler Free Review**

I actually read this book because the Book Club at my work was reading it and a colleague kindly lent it to me after they were finished. I could not be happier that they did! I absolutely loved this book!

The way the story is told is just so beautiful and well done. Backman successfully interweaves the past and present of Ove's life, constantly revealing more above who Ove his, that are deeply sad yet so real. The characters are what really made this book for me. They are absolutely wonderful and so believable as people. They are all very three-dimensional and it becomes so easy to view them as real people. First of all we have Ove himself; his integrity and believes, his misfortunes and happiness in his life really paint the picture of this incredibly complex human being. The book really demonstrates how quickly many people judge others based on looks or a one time meeting when everyone has so much more to them than what's on the surface.

Ove's wife is such a warm and caring character in this book and I find it incredible that despite her smaller appearances, how much I felt I knew her. Her relationship with Ove was so touching and sweet. It was refreshing to read about such a loving couple who were clearly devoted to one another unequivocally. They're relationship was beautiful and I really enjoyed the anecdotes throughout the book about their life together and how it all began.

The slow growing relationship with his neighbours, both old and new, added an interesting dimension to the story and really portrayed Ove in a different light. The side characters were just as witty and fascinating as Ove himself. I particularly loved Pananeh and her family, who insisted on seeing the good in Ove no matter what. It was funny to see them accidentally force their way into Ove's life and have a lasting impression on him.

This book had me laughing out loud at some of the funny incidents that happened to Ove. One of which was definitely the what happened with the clown. I just loved Pananeh coming into the waiting room to find Ove sulking like one of her children because of what he'd done. Ove's unsuccessful attempts at controlling both his life and his relationship with the cat were humorous and really added to Ove's character. Although he appears to be a grumbling, grumpy old man, so much more is shown to be underneath.

The translation was wonderfully done and definitely does justice to this book. Despite being a translation it was still raw, powerful and heartwarming, I would love to be able to read the original so I could experience the book as it was originally written, but the good thing about this book is that the translation definitely doesn't hinder the book's message in the slightest.

The ending was so beautiful, heartwarming and simultaneously sad. I have to say, I really welled up towards the end and I just felt so attached to Ove and his family and friends. I didn't want it to end. I absolutely loved this book and it definitely deserves more than 5/5 stars! I didn't expect this book to be as witty, funny, heart-warming, yet heart-wrenching, as it was. This is book that just makes you appreciate everything about life and the people in it. I highly recommend this to anyone, young or old, lover of adult fiction or not; its such a wonderful story that will stay with you long after you've finished reading.