A MAN CALLED OVE (B FORMAT)

A simple and easy-to-read story, without any intricate plot or twists. This one just flows gently through the day-to-day life of a man called Ove-who had a difficult childhood and has now lost the wife he loved so deeply. Once a strong man, he now finds himself in a dilapidated pause of life. The story keeps us hooked throughout with the presence of warm and interesting characters around him. An emotional and humorous read.

I generally don't do book reviews. I read for pleasure, gaining more knowledge, passing time, having a wider perspective. Basically for consumption. I might bring about some anecdotes learnt from books in casual conversations here and there. But nothing more. Books are a gateway for me to reflect. It has always been this way. But there are some rare books that demand an exception. A kind of book that moves you on so many levels that it becomes important to bare you heart out. It demands being talked about. It compels you to share what you are feeling. Because what you are feeling is a combination of so many emotions that if you don't talk about it you will be overwhelmed. And you know that once you talk about it, you will feel so much lighter. Because you know that you will have spread a story that is, without an iota of doubt, a kind of story that is needed so much in today's times. It's importance in today's world cannot be overestimated. Such purity in emotions is rare and that is what makes A Man Called Ove such a rare treat. At it's heart, A Man Called Ove is the story of a 59 year old widower. Ove is a principled man. A man who feels that what defines a man is not what he speaks but his actions. A man with such strong beliefs that he is ready to fight with anyone for it. An inflexible man. A grumpy man. A man who doesn't care even a bit of how he is perceived. A simple man with tremendous clarity of thought. A man who never minces his words. A man whose behavior is completely in sync with his feelings and a man who's beliefs are unwavering even in the most difficult of times. But to understand Ove is not so simple. Ove is not simply a product of his circumstances. Neither is what Ove is simply a product of heredity or upbringing nor he is an output of a combination of these factors. Ove is simply himself despite everything around him. And what happens when such a man loses the only person he loved? A person for whom Ove has fought day and night with the world. A person who is the only source of color in his life. A person who had accepted Ove as he is and never ever demanded that he change. A person who loved Ove wholeheartedly just as he is. The only person whom Ove could speak what was in his heart. How do you cope up with such a loss? This is the heart of Ove's story. Ove has lost his wife to cancer. It has been 6 months now. Ove's work has kept him engaged in the meanwhile. But now Ove has been asked to resign from a pace where he has worked for more than 3 decades and never taken a day off. He decides that it is time he meet his wife. The same day a family moves opposite to Ove's house. A pregnant Iranian women with her husband a two daughters. The events that unfold hereafter is what makes book. Ove's attempts to take his own life are interrupted every time by fate. And slowly, with time Ove rediscovers his purpose. The book also shows glimpses of Ove's life till date. His relationship with his father, his wife, his neighbors and the people he worked with. At the face of it it might seem an ordinary tale. But Ove's story is anything but ordinary. I am not going to give any spoilers here. Because I suggest every person to read this book. There is so much to learn not only from Ove but also from other characters in the book. Sonja, Ove's wife is the epitome of positivity. Parvaneh, Ove's pregnant Iranian neighbor, sees beyond Ove's tough facade and understands his heart. Ove's boss at work knows that the character of a person is more important than anything. All the characters in the book is powerfully enriching. A note also to Fredrik Backman's exceptional writing style. It is extremely engrossing and never preachy. He has a rare quality that can bring both tear and smile on your face with a single sentence. And leave you either spellbound or restless for more with a few lines. Definitely an author to look forward to. Let me say at last that there are only two books that have made my heart swell. A Thousand Splendid Suns and A Man Called Ove. I am going to go back to Ove. Definitely again and again. For it has touched me on so many levels.

A Man Called Ove, takes you to the Swedish town and makes you laugh and cry and sometimes both. The book is about an old man and his journey from his simple childhood to a struggling life. The man who lost his wife, Sonja to cancer, and wants nothing more than to kill himself in peace. First, he keeps getting interrupted by his neighbors and later, he fixes everything right. The trouble is all these people need his help. Ove can’t turn his back and annoy his wife. As he helps the neighbors, he reflects his memories of his time living with Sonja. In the opening scenes, he is yelling at an iPad sales clerk, like an irate elder man who can’t get with times. But when you learn everything that led to it, you’ll find so many connections. Ove has so many levels to him you will lose count trying to guess what he might do in any given situation. His reactions will annoy you, irritate you beyond belief. But gradually you’ll see the stones turning. OVE is a man of order of life. A man of very few relationships, but the very few he loved, he can build an empire for them. He liked to understand, learn and create things by himself. Like what he thought, he could do. The anecdotes and flashbacks spread throughout the story tell us how he came to be the man he is; wonderful yet complex. It’s not what the story is about, but what it leaves with you that makes you love the book.

Often in life, we meet people who we detest right from the very first moment we set eyes on them. Either their attitude, behavior, the way they talk, laugh, or maybe it’s just the way they look that sets you off. And try as one might, these uncommoners remain wedged in our memories and swim up to the surface every now and then. Ove is one such man. When 59 year old Ove’s wife Sonja passes away, he has no heart to carry on which is why he brings flowers to his wife’s grave regularly whilst also attempting to end his own life, his attempts being thwarted by trivial requests from his newly-arrived neighbors. Ove loves living alone, not being disturbed, and pretty much leaves the world to itself, except his timely interferences to assure law and order, armed by his own rigid rules and principles. As a character, Ove is a strong portrayal of those who lose the will to go on once their significant others have passed away and can hardly stand another day. Ove is full of it and struggling tenfold to reunite with his dead wife. It’s this bitter fact of life that has made Ove grumpy; among other things. The other character Parvaneh, the pregnant neighbor, is also uniquely portrayed. Even though at the start Ove is his usual self around her, gradually, Ove softens up on Parvaneh, and the bond they share is simply adorable. The characters in this novel have been brilliantly portrayed and they stay with you long after you’re done reading. The credit partly goes to the writing too here. Written from a third person narrative, the story keeps flitting between present and past revealing more of Ove’s life and why he is the way he is. Engaging, humorous, charming, and slick, the prose is an example of a practiced hand at work. It flows seamlessly with no loose ends, turning the reader from an Ove-despiser to Ove-admirer through the main character’s rather unbelievable transformation. You’ll be surprised at how you start to like this man who loves to complain, shoo cats away, shout at cops, intimidate locals, but also has a heart of gold inside. And that’s what sets him apart truly. Finally... 'A Man called Ove’ is a lovely little book about love, loss, grief, interspersed with life lessons and sharp wisdom that become highlights of the book. Easy to read, even easier to remember, A Man called Ove is a book that just stays there without so much as asking for attention and yet you are dazzled by its subtle glamor and before you know you are reading it, falling inexplicably in love with it. And finally, I feel it teaches us that all the people who seem difficult humans, need more of our love and kindness, not judgement and hatred. After all, as it is said,

After months of reading self-help, I finally decided to pick up a fiction and delve into some good storytelling. I have been hearing a lot about this book and the movie adaptation starring Tom Hanks. Hence, I gave it a read to be a judge of all the attention this book (and movie) has been garnering. And yeah, it did not fail to overwhelm me and make me contemplate about everything that the character was going through. Ove, a 59-year-old man, grumpy to be specific, decides to end his life because he has nothing to live for. His wife has passed away, he was asked to quit his job because they longer needed his service. The day he decides to do that, a new family moves in to the neighbourhood. The neighbours start coming over and start asking him for tools, ladders, etc. and Ove ends up helping them. Although, he misses his wife every second and wants to go where she is. He has paid all his debts, took care all the documentation and legal affairs, even washed the last mug he drank his coffee in, covered the floor with plastic so that the floors remain good, booked a place right beside his wife, Sonja. The book takes us on a journey where Ove comes in contact with his neighbours and his interaction with them. It takes us in a flashback where Ove thinks about his mother, his father with whom he spent most of his time, how he met Sonja and his black and white life filled with colour, his reconciliation with Anita and Rune, his friends and neighbours. The book beautifully describes Sonja and the compassion she carried. We won't doubt Ove's love for her even for a microsecond, because we'd feel ourselves falling in love with such a wonderful soul, Sonja. There are some books which make you stop reading and look at the wall, and wonder over what has been written. This book gave me many such instances. Ove's love for Sonja and the things he did for her was heartwarming. The way Ove picked Sonja up every night and took her to their room, despite she asking him to shift to the room downstairs, and Ove's rationale as to why he will never stop doing it, will give everyone the hope. Sonja's analogy where she compared moving into a house to falling in love, welled up my eyes. When Parvaneh feels that she won't be able to drive the car when people kept honking behind her, and the talk that Ove gave her which made us realize how powerful women are. These are probably a few parts in the book which I will never forget. Quotes worth mentioning: 1. “You only need one ray of light to chase all the shadows away.” 2. “But if anyone had asked, he would have told them that he never lived before he met her. And not after either.” 3. “They never had much, but they always had enough.” 4. “Men like Ove and Rune were from a generation in which one was what one did, not what one talked about.” Overall, an amazing book written in a simple language, all one has to do is understand Ove and his emotions. The book will sure take you on a journey, and you'll be tempted to watch the movie and give an embodiment to such lovely characters. I'd recommend kids to not read it as it has some depiction of suicide.

This book is such an uplifting and positive read. Although I watched the movie as well once I finished the book and I feel the book remains the superior version (in my opinion). I highly recommend diving into it without reading any online summaries or spoilers—going in blind makes the experience even more rewarding.

Wonderful book to read which makes you smile and touches your emotions. A must read.

Ove is the quintessential taciturn person, speaks little, has off and one only one friend, is a stickler for the little rules that bring order to a small village-town and is very particular about bringing to task anyone who breaks these rules. Every European building society/association has one of these. The book is filled with anecdotes of ordinary small town situations in which Ove’s eccentricity is unleashed freely on the neighbours. The redeeming feature is the humour and writing style with which these are portrayed, keeping the reader chuckling and sometimes outright laughing. Some might find Ove’s transformation to a helpful neighbour and a grandfather figure for the children within a short span of time unrealistic. Nevertheless, this book is good for a read just for the laughs.