A Short Review of A Man Called Ove, by Fredrik Backman

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Somehow, it seems fitting that A Man Called Ove is the last book I read in 2017. Yes, it is often very funny, or "hysterically funny," as Kirkus Reviews says, and yes, I agree with Publishers Weekly, " a funny crowd-pleaser that serves up laughs to accompany a thoughtful reflection on loss and love." Ove is a recognizable character, or archetype, the "angry old man next door," who people" think is bitter and he thinks himself surrounded by idiots" (backcover).

Funny, yes, and heartbreaking, as Ove is haunted by an overwhelming grief after his wife's death. Ove lives alone in a very ordered world. Then, things change, after the arrival of new neighbors, "a chatty young couple and their two boisterous daughters" who "accidentally [flatten] Ove's mailbox with their U-Haul" when they move in (backcover). Things evolve from there and Ove acquires a scraggly cat, saves his neighbor from being taken into care, rescues a gay boy kicked out by his parents, and ... well, read the book.

Love wins. I found myself crying at the end. That is a good thing.



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