“You only need one ray of light to chase all the shadows away”
Fredrik Backman
This quote from the book A Man Called Ove beautifully defines the story’s essence. I didn’t instantly pick up this book, though it has gotten a lot of hype.
Knowing the overall synopsis, I was sure I would love the book but decided to wait for a while before finally grabbing it, and honestly, it was worth it. I don’t know why, but I wanted to wait until I was determined enough to read.
It’s a must-read book, and today, I will give my review of the novel so readers can take it out of their TBR stack and start reading it.
Check out the book review of A Man Called Ove!
Synopsis of A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
A Man Called Ove is the debut novel of Fredrik Backman, a Swedish author. The story is about a man called Ove, who is fifty-nine years old.
He is a curmudgeon man who is almost always annoyed with the whole world and its people, is forcibly retired, and has lived in the same house for the past thirty years.
Ove is a man of principles, follows every rule, does not like changes, and does everything the right way. And if he sees anyone not following the same, he personally prefers to speak with them.
Ove’s wife Sonja was suffering from Cancer and died six months ago, which further aggravated his anger. He loved his wife, who was the complete opposite of him.
According to Ove, a good-hearted person like her didn’t deserve to suffer and die so soon. After his wife’s death, he has no reason left to live and is lost in life.
Every day, he does a morning inspection of his street to ensure there are no cases of burglaries or vandalism overnight. (Because Ove thinks he needs to take the initiative in this world of irresponsible people)
A new family moves in next door, and the U-Haul carrying their belongings hits and flattens Ove’s mailbox. Furiously, Ove storms out of his house to give an earful when he sees an Iranian pregnant woman, two kids, and a blonde man, who will all make an impact on his life moving forward.
While everyone in the neighborhood prefers to keep their distance from Ove due to his rude demeanor, the newly moved Iranian woman is unaffected by his rough attitude. She is the one who finds him amusing and also sees the soft side of the man.
From here, the heartwarming tale of unexpected friendships, cats, love, grief, and all varied events happen, giving Ove a reason to live.
My Review of A Man Called Ove
This is a beautiful book! The story of A Man Called Ove will melt your heart, evoke varied emotions, and leave you thinking over your judgments.
It’s a very simple story of a middle-aged man who is frustrated with the world, loves his wife, lives with principles, prefers discipline, and values responsibilities in life.
The story is slow, does not have twists and turns, is predictable, and has no extravagant plot. But this is what makes the story worth reading.
This was the first book I read by Fredrik Backman, and I absolutely loved his writing style. The writing is not very emotional; he does not go grand with descriptions but actually delivers facts. It’s the simplicity and straightforward narration, along with the offhand delivery, that hit me hard.
It’s like you are driving peacefully on a straight road, and a sudden turn, which is not even very dangerous or deep, leaves you offhand and breathless.
I liked all the characters in the book.
To be honest, in the initial chapters, I disliked Ove a little. His grumpy attitude irked me, but I learned much more about Ove and his life as the story progressed, which eventually changed my perspective of him.
It’s a perfect example of ‘Don’t judge a book by its cover!’
I found other characters in the book equally amazing. Parvaneh was one of the best, an entertaining character, and probably the only one who left Ove speechless most of the time (well, except for her two daughters)
I got emotional reading about Ove’s past and how it affected the man; the boundaries and distrust that followed due to the events felt so realistic. The author definitely deserves all the applause for writing this incredible story.
It shows that every person in this world has their own story and reasons for the way they are, and people only need to empathize with them and make them feel involved because, many times, this is what a suffering individual might need.
Another beautiful message was that youngsters often fail to understand their elders; instead of being offended by their rudeness, a few simple words of love and empathy can solve the issue and give them a reason to live happily.
Overall, it’s a heartwarming story that will make you smile and cry at the same time. The book was very touching, and I thoroughly enjoyed it!
A Man Called Ove is a book I absolutely recommend to everyone.
Wrap-Up
Fredrik Backman is an amazing author, and this is one of his best books.
I hope my book review of A Man Called Ove was worth your time and gave you enough reasons to grab the book. I suggest waiting for the right time and letting the book call for you until you cannot resist without diving into the story. Like this, you can happily devour the book!
Have you read this book? Share your thoughts in the comments below!