Book Review : A Man Called Ove

Book Title : A Man Called Ove

Author : Frederik Backman 

ISBN : 9781449474256

Publisher : Sceptre

Genre : Novel / General Fiction

Publication : 2014

Pages : 305

Binding : Kindle Edition

About The Book:

A grumpy yet lovable man finds his solitary world turned on its head when a boisterous young family moves in next door.

Meet Ove. He's a curmudgeon, the kind of man who points at people he dislikes as if they were burglars caught outside his bedroom window. He has staunch principles, strict routines, and a short fuse. People call him the bitter neighbor from hell, but must Ove be bitter just because he doesn't walk around with a smile plastered to his face all the time?

Behind the cranky exterior there is a story and a sadness. So when one November morning a chatty young couple with two chatty young daughters move in next door and accidentally flatten Ove's mailbox, it is the lead-in to a comical and heartwarming tale of unkempt cats, unexpected friendship, and the ancient art of backing up a U-Haul. All of which will change one cranky old man and a local residents' association to their very foundations.

Rating: 5 ☆'s

Review:

Ever been struck without an overcoat, when you're suddenly hit by an unexpected cold wave and then someone offers you a blanket to wrap around?

Or maybe you wake up on a chilly morning and are handed a hot cup of tea and how grateful you feel at that time.

That's what this book is like - a perfect winter read for it leaves you with a warm fuzzy and cuddly feeling.

*spoiler alert*

The man just wants to die until he doesn't. It wasn't too difficult to guess what Ove was doing or where he was going with all the things he was doing - but what is unexpected and like a fresh breath of air is how unexpectedly lovable Ove is - I mean you can't help fall in love with him!
*end of spoiler*

The author beautifully interweaves the present and the past and the anecdotes and little incidents just bind the whole thing together. The plot comes out beautifully and each character has his/her own individual personality that set them apart from others but as if sort of magically, they all fit and belong together.

With each new page, you go through a different emotion that you didn't even know you had in you - each word, each sentence goes deep inside you and tugs at your heart, wrings it until every single emotion hidden in there, comes out.

A fast paced book, so sad but so funny - if it can make you howl then this book can also make you guffaw - this book is a complete page turner and a must read. And truthfully, for a change, I am at a loss of words to express how much I loved the book and I cannot insist enough and press you enough to read this gem of a book.

Pick it up today, because it is the perfect winter read and because I never wanted the book to get over - I wanted to live with Ove and observe him from afar - in fact, I was right there when he brewed his coffee and went on his morning inspection and checked on all locks thrice and lived each day while trying to die - this book taught me how to live, this book makes me want to live and when death comes, I want to die like Ove, peacefully and at peace with myself and at peace with the world.

Happy Reading!