He’s obviously meant to be a somewhat unlikeable, cranky, old man, but he did have some moments that I thought were really rude. I had mixed feelings about Ove as a character. Don’t judge a book by its cover and don’t judge a book by its characters. It forced me to rethink my perceptions of people. Then he juts to the left and lays it out in a totally new view. He makes you want to make assumptions based on a few facts. My favorite part was the classic way Backman makes you innocently believe one thing about his characters and then tricks you into being wrong.

Like he really needed you to remember their key traits: cranky and old, or pregnant and chatty, or mean lady with the yappy dog. He really played up their character traits to make them larger than life. I was so connected to this book and to the characters, even though they were a bit cartoonish in their mannerism. He uncovers what it means to have a family, no matter how untraditional. He dives deep into humanity and our need to be loved. He pieces apart the essence of what it means to be a human and applies it to a lovable, yet cranky old man. You know that quote about how if you want to be a good writer, you don’t write about ‘ man‘ you write about ‘ a man‘? That’s exactly what Backman has done again with this novel. Ove must learn to live with the new faces in his life and come to terms that his old life is gone, but that doesn’t mean his life is over.įredrik Backman is a genius when it comes to intertwining comedy, grief, and love. Too many people that need help that only Ove can provide. There are too many things left undone and unsaid. How can one properly hang himself if the bone-headed neighbor backs the moving trailer over his mailbox? How can he shoot himself if the kid from the cafe comes knocking on his door to ask for help fixing his girlfriend’s bike? Who will feed the cat that has taken up residence in his home? Then a young family moves onto the street and his suicide plans keep getting interrupted.

“People said Ove saw the world in black and white. He wants his life to end, because without his wife or his work, what’s the point in living anymore? He’s lived a rough life with plenty of bad luck and has now found himself alone after his wife’s untimely death. After all, there’s a right way to do things and a wrong way, and Ove won’t let his neighborhood fall in the wrong way. He does his morning rounds of the street to look for mischief and rulebreakers. He’s lost control of the neighborhood council. But he’s been forced out of his job and pushed around by those who have more than he does. He’s a hard worker who knows how to get things done. Cranky and bitter perfectly describe Ove.

Backman a man called ove