A Man Called Ove

The Tea:

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

Blog Written By: Ciestiel

Wow. That’s the first impression I had after reading this book. I knew a lot of spoilers going in and things in this book still hit me hard in the feels. If you haven’t checked out Backman yet, I highly recommend doing so.

This is not spoiler free so keep that in mind before reading.

So. What is this book about? Simply put, grief. Ove is man who’s suffered loss. That loss has caused him to also lose his will to live. He has no desire for it, only to once again be with his wife. But the world isn’t ready to lose Ove just yet. And every time he tries to take matters into his own hands he’s thwarted by neighbors and neighborhood shenanigans. And ultimately this is a journey of overcoming that overwhelming grief.

What I didn’t love about this book. Honestly, I’m not sure there was anything I disliked except maybe that Mirsad could have done better in choosing a boyfriend? My only complaint that I could possibly come up with for this novel.

What I loved. First and foremost Backman’s writing. And as this is originally published in Swedish, also props to the translator for his ability to convey such amazing prose from Swedish to English. This book is focused on Ove and was Backman’s debut novel. He brings the focus to more characters from what I understand in his more recent works but this one is just Ove. We get in his head, we see his memories, we feel what he feels. We get to know him. It feels like Ove could be a real person that you know. He’s relatable. It’s got humor in the story but it doesn’t undercut the serious moments and themes.

Ove is clearly depressed and grieving after the loss of his wife. It’s a serious topic many many people have been through. And while sometimes the moment is lightened with something humorous that Ove says, it’s done rather organically. I thought, anyway. We learn about Ove as a person, who he was before his wife, with his wife, and after. The transitions between the past and present are wonderfully connected and the story comes full circle from beginning to end.

I loved how we saw Ove get through his grief. Largely due to the pregnant woman who moved in next door. It seems like she caught on to what Ove was trying to do and made it a point to insert herself into his life. She reminded him that he’s not useless. That he still has lots to teach and give. Their relationship grew so sweetly, he even started calling Pravaneh by her name rather than the pregnant woman. She honestly feels like what Ove and his wife’s child would have been like. Because of Pravaneh he made a new family. With her family, with the other neighbors, and with some others like Adrian the mail carrier and Mirsad the coffee shop manager. And a cat annoyance, Ove’s words.

The cat and Ove. Also one of my favorite relationships of the book. Ove is so reluctant to take in the cat but he soon comes to clearly enjoy its company. He talks to it like the cat can understand him and sometimes answer him with looks. He takes the cat with him just about everywhere and it can’t be just because he doesn’t trust it in the house. The cat is even in the letter he leaves Pravaneh when he dies. It became part of the family. He never liked cats that much but Sonja, his wife, did. Even gone he did things, like taking in the cat, because he knew she would do it or would as him to.

Ove is a grump. But he’s a lovable grump. And one you want on your side. He will leave no stone unturned to get something done for those he cares about. And you better not make a fuss about it because he just did what any decent person should do. He taught Pravaneh how to drive, taught Adrian to fix bikes and about cars, took Mirsad in when his dad kicked him out for being gay, put Praveneh’s kids drawings up on his fridge, and made sure Rune was not taken into a care facility and away from his wife Anita. And he saved a man’s life from being run over by a train somewhere in there too. And while Ove remains stubborn and gruff throughout the whole novel, you can feel the tone go from cold to warm by the end of it. Ove, at the start, was just going through the motions, not excited about anything or anyone. By the end he had a new life and had things to get him out of bed again. His wife would have been happy and he realized that. She would love the new neighbors, the cat. You could feel just how much Ove loved his wife. And Backman makes a beautiful point about the connections between people and how important they are.

This novel was quite bittersweet but totally worth the read. In the end Ove does get to be with his wife again but by the time it happens it’s due to Ove’s large heart, defying the white coats by probably two years. It takes quite a bit to get me to shed tears but the last few chapters of this book had them coming. Like I said above, if you haven’t checked out Backman yet, I highly recommend doing so.

9/10 Biscuits

And That’s The Tea.

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