2017 Book Review #38: A Man Called Ove

This book has been on my "want to read" list for awhile now and when the town library finally had it on its shelves, I grabbed it!  It is absolutely charming and a refreshing change from the psychological and mystery thrillers I tend to gravitate towards.

STORY SUMMARY

Ove is a grumpy middle aged man who lives in Sweden.  He owns a home in a small neighborhood.  He lives by strict rules, strict schedules, and tough principles.  He also happens to have a very short fuse, temperamentally.  He feels like he is surrounded by idiots in his neighborhood, from obese Jimmy to the air head blonde with the annoying dog he calls "Mutt". His good friend with whom he has a love-hate relationship is Rune and Rune is suffering from Alzheimer's.  Rune lives with his wife Anita and they have a son they never hear from who lives in America.

One November morning, Ove's world is shaken....both literally and figuratively.....the new next door neighbors move in and their moving van crashes into Ove's mailbox!  He meets Patrick, the young man, his Iranian wife Parvaneh and their two young daughters, ages 7 and 3.  Parvaneh is pregnant.

Thus begin the adventures in Ove's 59th year of life.

And then you learn just why he is so ornery.  So glum.

And it will make you weep:  the death of his wife Sonja.  They were married for about 40 years!

MY THOUGHTS

This book is hilariously funny along with profoundly sad.

The writing is most excellent and I'm looking forward to reading the author's 2nd novel.

Character development is so strong that you feel like you know these people!!  I fell in love with Ove and with the 3 year old little girl.  All of the characters are very endearing. 

Ove is the type of person that you want to meet for real, as is Parvaneh.

He is the real deal with his thoughts and actions.  This book speaks of the power of love and deep sadness/grief.  We learn, as readers, what it is like to live in the days and months after the death of a loved one.

We see what it is like for Ove at age 15 and his father dies....how he picks himself up and makes something of himself.  He is always doing good for people and has a high moral character and great integrity.

And then we see the differences, 40 years later, with the death of his wife....and how he wants to join her by committing suicide.

You will laugh at the antics of how the author plays out the failed attempts of Ove trying to kill himself.  And you will feel a deep sadness...at least I did...when Ove visits Sonja's grave.

This book really shows that people are not always what/whom they appear to be.

In my opinion, this book is appropriate for ages 14 and older.

On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the highest, I rate this a 10.