Review: A Man Called Ove (by Fredrik Backman)

My Rating:  5 stars

I know I'm super late to the party with this book, but hey, better late than never, right? Actually, A Man Called Ove has been on my TBR for years and the paperback copy had been sitting on my bookshelf for just as long. I was originally "intending" to finally read this book last year, as I had read Anxious People (my first exposure to Fredrik Backman's work) the year before and loved it.  But then one of my book clubs decided to read Beartown, so I picked up that one next, and of course, like everyone else who read that book, I fell hard for the characters (and the story) — so much so, in fact, that as soon as I turned the last page, I immediately picked up the sequel Us Against You and flew through that. Then, just when I was experiencing major  Beartown withdrawal, I miraculously scored an advance copy of The Winners (the third and final book in the trilogy) and devoured that 688 page tome in one sitting (and even though I cried through much of that book, I still loved every minute I spent reading it).  After that, I spent the last couple months of the year fighting the urge to re-read the entire trilogy all over again (mostly because I had a boatload of other books that I knew I had to get to). Anyway, I've digressed…so I decided to finally pick up A Man Called Ove because I knew the American movie remake starring Tom Hanks would be out this month and since I MIGHT go watch it (I'm still on the fence technically), I figured now would be as good a time as any to read the book.  Also, in another stroke of perfect timing, I attended the Livestream interview that Fredrik Backman did with the Center for Fiction last week where he talked about Ove as well as the movie adaptation, among other things (the entire interview was absolutely fantastic — I came out of that interview loving Backman even more than I already did, lol).  

So yes, I finally read Ove and it was as amazing as I expected it to be.  From the story to the characters, I loved every aspect of the book, which had me laughing one minute and crying the next minute.  Backman is one of those rare writers who is so adept at striking that perfect balance between sad and serious in his stories (which are my absolutely favorite type of stories to read!).  Just like with his other novels, in A Man Called Ove, Backman explores the many nuances of the human condition that are resonant and relatable — themes such as loneliness, community, society ills, prejudice, grief and loss, parenthood, friendship, etc. — and ties everything together into a masterful story that is heartwarming and poignant, sad and somber, yet also funny and ultimately hopeful, all at the same time.  

Now after having read 5 of Backman's novels (I intend to be a completist and read all of his works at some point), one of the things I've noticed about his writing is that it is always so earnest and full of heart.  After watching his most recent interview, I realize now how much of his own vulnerabilities he both knowingly and unknowingly incorporates into his stories — for example, with the character of Ove, he reflects his own awkwardness in social situations, his difficulty communicating with people, his wife being his main connection to the world and other people, etc.  The way Backman is able to be so "spot on" when writing about the various aspects of the human condition — our feelings, emotions, relationships — it imbues his stories with an honesty and sincerity that makes his works especially accessible and endearing.

It's probably obvious already that Backman is one of my favorite authors — I will pretty much read anything he writes at this point.  With that said, I haven't actually read all of his backlist works yet, but as I mentioned earlier, I very much intend to be a Backman completist, so it's just a matter of time before I get to the rest of his books.  I am absolutely looking forward to it!