"A Man Called Ove" by Fredrik Backman - Reviewed by TM Komal Choraria

 

I had just finished reading a mystery fiction novel and was looking for something light and refreshing for my next read, when I stumbled upon the recommendation to read A Man called Ove. This novel by Fredrick Backman fitted the bill to a T.

About the author

Fredrik Backman is a Swedish columnist, blogger and writer. He is the author of A Man Called Ove, My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry, Britt-Marie Was Here, Beartown, and Us Against You.

About the book

A Man Called Ove is a work of fiction by Fredrick Backman published in 2012. This 300-page novel was like a breath of fresh air. Set in Sweden, it is a series of short stories about a man called Ove, that combine into an awesome all-encompassing storyline. 

Backman talks on themes of love, loss, family, friendship, and their risks and rewards. Ove is best described as a curmudgeon, a man who had a hard time walking with a smile plastered to this face all the time. So, he might come out as someone who is grumpy, cantankerous, opinionated but as you keep reading further in the book he will come out as someone loveable, caring and hilarious. Falling in love was Ove’s watershed moment. He was so immensely in love with his wife, Sonja, that after her death, he wishes to cease his existence. 

But, when a boisterous, chatty couple shifts to his neighbourhood, Ove’s solitary world is turned upside down. His encounter with his neighbours is highly entertaining and humorous and shows us how healing can occur with the unlikeliest of people (and cats!), in the unlikeliest of ways. It changed him from a man who had a hard time getting on with his life after his wife died, to a man who was a little more expressive, a man who started acknowledging the grey area in between. (His staunch principles and strict routines remained static).

It leads to a comical heart-warming tale and I can say with certainity that it is impossible to not fall in love with a man called Ove. 

What I liked about this book was its simplicity and genuineness. The change in Ove’s behaviour unfolds in a humorous narrative, in unexpected ways and that kept me entranced throughout. Ove’s failed attempts at ending his life make me trust in fate and strengthens my belief that everything does happen for a reason even though we are unable to fathom out its ramifications. 

It also has one of the most satisfactory ends to any book I have read in quite some time. 

What attracted me the most to this novel was its fascinating characterisation which helped me picture every instance.

I would surely recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a mix of tragedy and comedy, and a genuine simple story about someone’s life.