A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

A Five-Star Book Review

My general rule is no books, TV shows, or movies in which the elderly or animals experience pain. Call me emotionally delicate, but these stories wreck me for days. Cases in point: I refuse to watch The Golden Girls episode in which Sophia befriends a man with dementia. I held myself together while reading Jack London’s The Call of the Wild in sixth grade English class, but I was a blubbering mess when Mrs. J. made us watch White Fang (not a good move for my popularity, by the way). The episode of The West Wing in which Toby searches for the veteran who’d worn Toby’s old coat? Nope. Can’t do it. I bawled like a baby in the theater watching Bolt with my niece and nephews in 2008; granted, I was pregnant at the time, but still. I was terrified that Bolt wasn’t going to make it.

All that to say, A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman has been at the back of my reading list for a long time. Having loved Beartown, I expected Backman’s debut novel to be great, but I anticipated it to be one I couldn’t handle. A book centered on a lonely, elderly man, and there’s a cat? Hard no. And people try to influence his life? Is Backman secretly trying to destroy my already tissue-paper-thin emotions?

But, 2024 has been a relatively slow year of reading for me, and when I found a free version of A Man Called Ove on audiobook, I decided to try it. I could turn it off at any point, I promised myself.

I didn’t turn it off. In fact, I bought a hardcover version of the book, and it’s firmly on my favorite all-time books list now. So there, Mr. Backman. You got me.

Summary of A Man Called Ove (A Few Spoilers)

Note: I can’t accurately capture A Man Called Ove without giving away a few spoilers, but I’ll do my best to keep them to a minimum. Still, if you haven’t read it and want to, I’d proceed with caution.

Ove is a curmudgeon who has lived in the same neighborhood for decades. He has a strict daily schedule, a hatred for anyone driving through the residential area (no cars allowed!), and a set of habits that no one should cross. He despises anyone or anything that gets in his way, including the ragamuffin cat that insists on sauntering around the perimeter of his house. After all, Ove has a plan. A plan that involves installing a large hook from his ceiling, a rope, and a chair.

See, Ove is ready to go. He’s done with life now that Sonja, his wife, is buried in the cemetery, and his schedule is free since his company opted to give Ove ‘more freedom’ in the form of early retirement. Ove knows Sonja won’t be happy with his method, but getting back to her is more important.

Yet, his plans are thwarted when the new neighbors across the street run into his mailbox. Then they ask Ove for help on another matter. And soon Ove finds himself involved in several others’ lives in unconventional ways, not from his own choosing, despite his daily plans for ending it all and meeting Sonja on the other side. Ove’s life is fuller than he’d prefer it now, but no one, not even the cat, seems to be willing to walk away.

What I Loved about A Man Called Ove

A Man Called Ove touched my soul — a requirement for my five-star rating system — and here are a few reasons why:

• The Writing: The millions of books that Backman has sold aren’t a fluke. He is an impressive writer who turns a phrase in an elegant way like a song and then punches you with an off-color joke all in the same page. Backman brings characters to life with observations about their nuances, reactions, and peculiarities. He sets scenes that are stark of description but bold in their visuals. I don’t speak Swedish, but I would love to read Backman’s books in his native language to experience his writing in true form.
• The Side Characters: The side characters in A Man Called Ove are funny, endearing, and bit maddening in some cases. Parvaneh, the mother of the family who moves across the street from Ove, was by far my favorite. This small, Iranian woman was indignant to Ove’s coarse, rude mannerisms. She insisted on his help and in turn, pushed herself and her family into Ove’s life. And then, in the flashbacks to Ove’s life before, Sonja was a beautifully kind and patient character, someone who saw Ove as an awkward young man with many gifts and many afflictions, but who loved him anyway and chose to be his wife.
• Ove: This bear of a man is gruff and fierce. He is set in his ways and believes that there is a clear right and wrong, just like a Saab is the clear choice for a vehicle above all others. As each chapter of A Man Called Ove uncovers more of the layers within the man’s life and how the world has shaped him, I felt more and more empathy for him. Yes, he is a bit of an arse. He’s bitter, but there are reasons for it. I, like Parvaneh’s daughters, just wanted to give him hugs. Ove’s character arch is one of the most impressive that I’ve read in a long time.

My Final Thoughts about A Man Called Ove

It took a lot of ‘bookish strength’ for me to start listening to A Man Called Ove, and now I wish I would have done so a long time ago. I understand the hype about this book now. I love a man named Ove, and his journey, from Page 1 to the end, is heartrending and life-affirming. What a payoff. Thank you, Mr. Backman.