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A Man Called Ove
- KateHubb
- Oct 22, 2016
- 2 min read
Grumpy-ness is only skin deep. Ove is one grumpy old man...until he's not.
Title: A Man Called Ove
Author: Fredrik Backman
Pages: 337
Genre: Fiction
Recommended: If you like stories about healing and service.
Song: "I Hate Everyone" by Go Set Go
Grumpy Old Man...Gone Good
At first, Ove (pronounced Oova) seems like a really grumpy old man. He has nothing kind to say about anyone and the world seems like a giant hassle to him. In reality, Ova is only about 60, and digging just a little bit unearths his tender heart.
Ove sees the world in black and white, but it doesn't mean he is devoid of feeling. He lost his wife on Friday and his job on Monday. He is carefully planning is own suicide, but all of his attempts seem to get interrupted. By the new neighbors who can't move a trailer correctly. By the annoying cat. By people who need help.
As hard as he tries, Ova can't stay to himself. He has to help people, and he secretly loves it. The book teaches an important lesson to not judge other people by their exteriors or by their first impressions, because there could be something beautiful just beneath the surface.
Narrow View, Deep Dive
It wasn't long ago that I read "My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry" by the same author. Both novels were originally published in Swedish, and they concentrate on the micro communities that seem so prevalent in that culture.
Just like "Grandmother", the events in "Ova" aren't really that action packed. They focus on the meaningful connection between people. The author does a good job showing the intricacies and subtleties of loss and healing. They are both good reads, but can be pretty dry.
Audiobook
Narrator George Newbern has an easy listening voice. His slight variations for character voices work wonderfully.
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