Review by sanollogy - A Man Called Ove

sanollogy 's review for:

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

3.0

emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

small acts make a big person and a huge difference — that’s what i think of ove.

while reading this, i couldn’t stop seeing my grandmother in ove. we have a whole generation in front of us who went through so much that they adapted this type of grumpy behavior just to survive. backman captures this with empathy, showing how even the most seemingly unapproachable people can be deeply caring in their own ways. that's who my grandma is too.

in my opinion, the strength of fredrik’s books lies in its focus on a character’s small actions and everyday gestures. it’s as if he’s constantly reminding his readers that life doesn’t reside in grand goals and achievements. to truly live is to experience life through the small things here and there, every day. those are what keep us going.

touching and heart-warming — yet, it felt kind of bland to me (especially after reading anxious people). it’s missing a certain something, though i can’t quite put my finger on what.

i would say its an average heart-healing type of novel.

things that i wrote down in my notes:

“We always think there's enough time to do things with other people. Time to say things to them. And then something happens and then we stand there holding on to words like 'if'.”

“But sorrow is unreliable in that way. When people don’t share it there’s a good chance that it will drive them apart instead.”

“It is difficult to admit that one is wrong. Particularly when one has been wrong for a very long time.”

Content Warnings