A Man Called Ove – Fredrik Backman

When a man called Ove loses his job and finds himself with nothing to do during the day, he decides to end his own life in order to be reunited with his recently deceased wife.  Every time he tries, though, something gets in his way and, slowly, he builds up a small community of neighbors that rely upon, and eventually love, him, which gives him a reason to keep living.

In his debut novel, A Man Called Ove, Fredrick Backman builds a relatable character: the old curmudgeon who lives for following the rules and finds fault with everyone around him.  Whether it’s a family member, neighbor, or co-worker, we’ve all had experience with some variation of this character.  That relatability goes a long way towards establishing a relationship with Ove, as Backman goes back and forth between the present day, where Ove gets pulled into relationships with neighbors new and old, and the past, where we learn about Ove’s upbringing and his life with his wife.

This is now two years in a row that I’ve enjoyed something from Bakman.  I’ll need to dig deeper into his backlog going forward for more hours on enjoyment.