Review: OVE'S JOURNEY IS DELIGHTFUL AND POIGNANT!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 3, 2014
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman was originally published in Sweden and the story helpfully starts with a description of the main protagonist: “Ove is fifty-nine. He drives a Saab. He’s the kind of man who points at people he doesn’t like the look of, as if they were burglars and his forefinger a policeman’s torch.” Fredrik Backman’s debut novel is charming and delightful. It is a story that will warm your heart, as much as it is a story that will make you laugh and cry at the same time.Ove is a lovably miserable neighborhood wet blanket, a widower who has recently been forced into retirement. With nothing much to do, Ove tries to spend his days as a true busybody, trying to enforce rules in the housing complex where nobody seems to be keeping rules. He is the community’s resident inspector, checking on them whether they break rules or not, and judging others by their choice of automobile. Ove cannot understand why everyone, big and small, is bent on breaking rules. Though a sign that prohibited motorized vehicles in residential areas is prominently displayed, no one bothers about it and he makes it his mission to stop anyone who violates this rule.A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman is utterly compelling, delightful and heartbreaking. You can only sympathize with Ove who is dearly missing his late wife Sonja, who in contrast to Ove is cheerful and lively. Ove is hardworking and honorable, yet by nature he is the cantankerous type and an unfortunate set of circumstances contributed to cementing this grumpiness. Sonja through her sweetness and exuberance managed to balance Ove’s pessimism with a dose of optimism. With Sonja gone and the future looking bleak, he decided to put an end to his misery when a woman returns into his life to turn him around for the second time.Apart from his new neighbor, the pregnant Parvaneh, the book is peopled by an interesting cast of characters including Parvaneh’s maladroit husband Patrick, Anita, Jimmy, Adrian and a mangy feline Ove calls “Cat Annoyance.” A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman is a novel you wouldn’t want to miss!