Sweden: A Man Called Ove

A Man Called Ove

by Fredrik Backman

 

Sweden

This novel gets the prize for the most charming, engaging, heart-tugging book I've read in a really long time.  Ove is a 60-year old curmudgeon, whose external demeanor is rigid, direct, intolerant, grumpy, and off-putting.  But as the narrative moves along, we quickly see that underneath his gruff exterior, Ove has a heart of gold; he just doesn't want anyone to know it.  As we get to know Ove through stories of his childhood and his relationships with others, we come to know him as a man who is honorable, loyal, kind, and deeply committed to doing the right thing.  Each chapter shows us these traits through stories about Ove's beloved wife Sonja, the start of his career with the railroads, the elderly couple down the street with whom he has a love-hate relationship, new neighbors (a clumsy man, feisty Iranian wife, and two precocious little girls), a couple of adolescent boys in need to support, and the stubborn street cat who adopts Ove as his own.  With each vignette, we see Ove's journey from hopelessness (can't say why ... have to read it yourself) to learning how to live again.

This is probably my favorite book of all that I've read this year.  From my Goodreads page:

This book has it all ... humor, wisdom, charm, poignancy, incredible character development, interesting structure, serious themes about aging and community and friendship and love, and pretty much anything else you'd want a novel to be. I laughed out loud in several places, fell completely in love with curmudgeonly Ove, came to know the characters as if they were personal friends (including Ove's deceased wife and stubborn cat), and felt heartbroken when I reached the last page.

Booklist had this to say about "A Man Called Ove" ... Readers seeking feel-good tales with a message will rave about the rantings of this solitary old man with a singular outlook. If there was an award for ''Most Charming Book of the Year,'' this first novel by a Swedish blogger-turned-overnight-sensation would win hands down.

I could not agree more.