A Man Called Ove Book Review
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman Brief Book Review
"A Man Called Ove" is a story about discovering community and friendship. Our main character is pulled through random inconveniences that help him appreciate people and understand each individual he encounters fills his heart with the love he lost.
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Book Review
Fiction | Fredrik Backman
The protagonist of the plot is Ove, a temperamental 59-year-old man. His life has structure and order; anything outside of that tends to piss him off, like other people parking in prohibited areas, and driving in the residential area. He lost his job and wife - the only stable elements that ever brought his life meaning. Ove feels lost - like he has no purpose, so he decides to kill himself. Suicide grows difficult when his new neighbors smash into his mailbox upon moving in; with that family around, every attempt falls empty due to some random circumstance. But what truly pulls him away is that maybe he doesn't actually want to die. Ove must quell the pain of losing the only person in the world who loved him and learn to open his heart to life again.
"Death is a strange thing. People live their whole lives as if it does not exist, and yet it's often one of the greatest motivations for living."
"A Man Called Ove" by Fredrik Backman
Brief Review:
This tale was beautiful, jarring, and silly. Youtuber and illustrator Carolynmariereads recommended this book on her channel, along with every other Backman story. I had forgotten the premise until he attempted and failed the first suicide. It was shocking and heartbreaking, although Ove doesn't fuss about it. *The scenes are not gory. Backman sets it up to where the reader understands what Ove is doing, but the character is pulled away before he gets a chance to fully follow through.*
Ove starts out as an unlikeable character because he is so moody and ill-tempered - he stays that way through most of the book. His negativity took me out of the story at times, yet, his moodiness comes from the lack of common sense in society. He wants simplicity, and the world overcomplicates things - it seems broken. Something as straightforward as buying a computer turns into a frustrating task.
Although he is always angry, Backman reveals that Ove is loveable. He imbues his tender care to the world in his own way: he houses a feral cat, builds a romance, and helps others more than he may want to admit.
This book shared the emotional truths of losing a spouse - especially as an aged individual. You sympathize with his desire to die because he doesn’t want to live without his wife and his misbelief that this life isn't worth living without her.
"People said Ove saw the world in black and white. But she was color. All the color he had."
"A Man Called Ove" by Fredrik Backman
This is a book about aging, love, and making new friends.
Rating: 3.5 ★★★
I loved the themes and messages the book conveys about aging, time, and love. My only issue is that Ove’s temperament was a bit overdone. His constant anger and hostility weighed me down while listening to the story. Although emotionally heavy, it's a beautiful story, and I recommend it to everyone.
