A grumpy old man finds redemption, acceptance and purpose

I am late in discovering A Man Called Ove writtenby Fredrik Backman and translated from the Swedish by Henning Koch. It’s been a bestseller and there is a film version as well so it’s very popular.

Our main character, Ove, is a grumpy old man who has been recently widowed. Feeling that he has nothing left in his life he decides to take his own life. He finds himself continually thwarted, however, by neighbours and friends who need his help to do things properly. Ove has very set views about how things should be done and he becomes involved with people who he considers to be idiots in order to teach them the right way. He helps with home improvements, car maintenance, reversing a car with a trailer properly, access to local homes and many other things. Slowly he thaws and becomes involved with people’s lives until he finds himself with a purpose for living after all.

This is a book that has been described as heart-warming and I can see why. It’s a story of redemption, of the importance of human connections, and about tolerance and acceptance. Ove doesn’t change much but he comes to accept and understand others more and is able to make a difference in their lives while they change his. The writing is charming and witty and although the moral of the book is obvious it isn’t pushed down your throat.

Having said all these things and having noted how popular this book is (and other books by the same author) I find that the story didn’t move me at all. I wasn’t particularly happy about the author making attempted suicide into a bit of a running joke at the beginning of the book. I found Ove to be objectionable rather than endearing and I certainly wouldn’t want to live near to him. The whole book felt like a fairytale and was totally unrealistic – although it is possible that I am too cynical. I finished the book but I found it tiresome and the ending was written to obtain an emotional reaction which I thought was manipulative and obvious. I accept that I am in a minority but this really was not a book for me.