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“Ove feels an instinctive skepticism towards all people taller than six feet; the blood can’t quite make it all the way up to the brain.” A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

This. Book.

I loved this book. And I think you will too. Backman is a Swedish novelist but unlike all those dark, Nordic thrillers coming out of Sweden, his novels are hilarious and touching.  Ove is the classic grumpy old man. He lives his life by strict rules and he is not afraid to share his opinions with anyone who breaks them (he is the scourge of his residents’ association). He has a very short temper. He thinks everyone is an idiot. He is mean to the cat. In short, he is pretty unlikable. Except … he has just lost the love of his life, his wife, Sonja. Through his grief over her loss, we see a different side of Ove. Six months after her death, he prepares to take his own life.

Except he can’t.

Despite his careful preparations, the new next door neighbors back up their U-Haul improperly, flattening his mailbox and thus ruining his plan. He cannot leave this world with a flattened mailbox, especially one that has been flattened at the hands of idiots. What follows are a series of comic events that result in unlikely friendships. Backman had me laughing out loud at Ove’s antics and sometimes wondering what it would be like to be so free with my opinions. (Really, his manners are shocking). But the narrative also switches from the present to Ove’s backstory with Sonja which Backman describes with some beautiful images:

“Loving someone is like moving into a house,” Sonja used to say. “At first you fall in love with all the new things, amazed every morning that all this belongs to you, as if fearing that someone would suddenly come rushing in through the door to explain that a terrible mistake had been made, you weren’t actually supposed to live in a wonderful place like this. Then over the years the walls become weathered, the wood splinters here and there, and you start to love that house not so much because of all its perfection, but rather for its imperfections. You get to know all the nooks and crannies. How to avoid getting the key caught in the lock when it’s cold outside. Which of the floorboards flex slightly when one steps on them or exactly how to open the wardrobe doors without them creaking. These are the little secrets that make it your home.”

There is something about the way that Backman contrasts Ove’s gruff, cantankerous exterior with his tenderness for Sonja that makes his character so appealing. Backman strikes the perfect balance between comedy and sorrow in this novel. Like Eleanor Oliphant, Ove becomes an unexpected and unforgettable hero in his own small world. The novel explores grief but ultimately reveals how our connections to others helps us to heal.

So … I hope I’ve convinced you to read it. Go on, what’s one more book in your To Read Pile?

Have you read anything by Fredrik Backman? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Shoot me a comment or message. Until next time, happy reading!