Book Review: A Man Called Ove

What do you live for? What is your purpose? Take a moment and consider it. I imagine, at first, you may have thought about something very broad such as your family, your faith, or an abstract idea like ‘love’ or ‘justice’. A level below that, what do those ideas look like? Is there a specific person, activity, or organization which embodies that purpose for you; a single concrete noun giving shape to that ethereal idea? What would you do if that noun was no more? 

A Man Called Ove explores one man’s painful, rocky, messy answer to that question. 

Content warning: Suicidal ideation, self-harm 

Basics: 

Title: A Man Called Ove
Author: Freidrik Backman
Translator: Henning Koch
Genre: Contemporary fiction, literary fiction
Published: Forum Books, 2012 (Swedish); Atria Books, 2014(English)

Summary: 

Ove is a man of principles. Right is right because it is right, and doing things right is its own reward. He attacks systemic injustices and the correct way to turn a screw with equal zeal. For this black-and-white man, his wife Sonia is his whole world and his job (a ‘proper job,’ where he makes things) is his purpose.

So, when Sonia passes away and his job forces him into early retirement (why should he learn to use a computer? He has never needed it before), what is he to do? Why should he linger in a world which offers him no joy and no sense of value?  The story does not specify his religion, but he clearly believes in an afterlife, and longs to follow Sonia into it. 

Yet, every time he attempts to follow her, his new neighbors interrupt him with an increasingly ridiculous problem. As a man of principle, he cannot ignore the need. Exasperated – with the energy of a Christmas shopper annoyed at a full parking lot and shelves missing the one thing they need – he helps. Every time, he helps. 

A Man Called Ove is told in the present and the past, exploring a man who is, and how he came to be. It is a well-rounded portrait of his strengths and flaws, his best and worst moments, chronicling his journey from hopelessness to renewed faith. 

Why You Will Love This Book:

This novel is an absolute masterclass of perspective and voice. Backman doesn’t just write about Ove, he writes as Ove. Every word is filtered so tightly through Ove’s crotchety, exacting perspective that the reader must read between the lines to understand what’s really happening in any given scene. His point-of-view reframes the world for you, pulling you in so that you think, yeah, maybe it is better to buy two things when you only wanted one to avoid a small surcharge. 

It is, perhaps, cliche to say a book will make you laugh and cry, but it is a very apt description of …Ove. Many of the most tragic scenes are juxtaposed with such frivolity that you cannot help but laugh while you cry and cry while you laugh. It takes powerful, real emotions and makes them accessible through humor. 

The characters are quirky and interesting. The prose sings. If you’re in the mood for a genuinely moving tale, please read A Man Called Ove. 

Where Can You Find More? 

If you read this review and thought it sounded familiar, you’re right. Tom Hanks headlined the movie adaptation released earlier this year, A Man Called Otto. As usual, I think the book was better, but it’s an extremely faithful adaptation, and well worth your time. Plus, has Tom Tanks made a bad movie since 1992? Sorry, I digress. 

Check out Backman’s site for updates and backlist.  

Happy reading, folks.