A Man Called Ove by Fredrick Backman

Published in Paperback 7th May 2015 by Sceptre. My thanks to the publisher and Bookbridgr for sending me a copy.


At first sight, Ove is almost certainly the grumpiest man you will ever meet. He thinks himself surrounded by idiots - neighbours who can't reverse a trailer properly, joggers, shop assistants who talk in code, and the perpetrators of the vicious coup d'etat that ousted him as Chairman of the Residents' Association. He will persist in making his daily inspection rounds of the local streets.

But isn't it rare, these days, to find such old-fashioned clarity of belief and deed? Such unswerving conviction about what the world should be, and a lifelong dedication to making it just so?

In the end, you will see, there is something about Ove that is quite irresistible...

My Thoughts:

 This book was somewhat of an unexpected delight and will undoubtedly go into my favourites this year. Nothing is lacking in the translation from Swedish which has been expertly done by Henning Koch.

I was originally drawn in by the quirky premise for this story. What I hadn't appreciated was how much I would love Ove and all of his idiosyncrasies, I guess I shouldn't, after all what do I have in common with a grumpy old man.

This story is an excellent study of what it is to be human, not just grumpy but about how we all have our own ways about us.

Poignant in places as Ove looks back over his life, it is also funny and we are introduced to a wonderful cast of characters how allow Ove to maybe let go a little, maybe begrudgingly at first but in the end, I think he made some real friends.

I can't wait for this Authors second book.

About the Author

Fredrick Backman is a Swedish blogger, columnist and author. This is his debut novel. I am much anticipating his second novel, My Grandmother Sends Her Regards and Apologises.

Fredrick can be found on twitter : @Backmanland