A Man Called Ove - Fredrik Backman

A Man Called Ove

Title: A Man Called Ove

Author: Fredrik Backman

Publication Date: 8/27/12

Pages: 337

Genre: Literary Fiction / Fiction

How I Found It: My book club is reading it.

Date Completed: 4/1/17

Summary: Ove, an elderly widower, is planning on killing himself. His neighbors, however, just keep getting in his way. 

What I Thought: You may have heard of this book if you watched the Oscars. The movie based on it was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film. Or, like me, perhaps your book club is reading it. That's why I picked it up.

Ove is the perfect centerpiece for the story as well. He appears to really change over the course of the book. In some ways, he does. However, I think the kind-hearted, giving man was in there all along. In the flashbacks of his life, we see him making similar gestures and doing similar things. I think it just takes these new friends to help Ove see that in himself. When Sonya died, there was no one left to remind him of his tender heart until the new neighbors arrived.

I really liked the ending of the book. It's a bit cheesy, certainly. I definitely cried when the little girls began referring to Ove as their grandfather. For me, the ending worked. It's a story about love and family. It felt like the right way to encapsulate that. 

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Will I Re-Read: Unlikely

If You Liked This, Try: The Language of Flowers / The Secret Life of Bees / Year of Wonders

A Reduced Review: A really sweet story about making our family and embracing the neglected in our society.