A review by lizziepurpleserenity
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

5.0

This is such a heart-warming, tear-jerking, chuckle-inducing story about a grumpy man getting on in age and

dealing with grief, learning how to want to keep on living and connecting with others

. At first you wonder what there might be to like about Ove but the more we learn about his past and what makes him tick, the more we grow to love him and by the end I was sobbing and wishing that I knew him in real life.

The structure of the story is quite cleverly put together. We switch between the present day and Ove's past, connecting the dots in a way that makes sense. It was also so interesting how [trigger warning as well as spoiler]

every time Ove was preparing to kill himself, someone would come along needing him to do something-or-other for them, i.e. giving him a reason to continue living, to put them before himself. And the way he would give thought to what Sonja would say if he died and went to meet her having done (or not done) x y z just beforehand was so adorable and a really nice way of thinking about grief, I thought.

. It's so sad and depressing at times spending time with Ove, but somehow (helped by Joan Walker's brilliant narration) the book doesn't feel heavy or too much bear - Backman is a master at combining sadness with humour.

Highly recommend this for anyone who loves a heart-warming found family story.