Title: A Man Called Ove
Author: Fredrik Backman
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Sceptre
Publication Date: 2014
Format: Paperback

Length:  294 pages

Read if you like: themes of grief and isolation, love and redemption, grumpy old men, unexpected friendships, community connections, found family

Rating:

One of my goals for 2026 was to read more diversely and pick some books from my TBR that expanded the genres I was exposed to. I’ve had Fredrik Backman on my must-read list for a long time, but this is the first time I’ve actually prioritized picking one of his books up. I’m now kicking myself a bit for having not done so sooner.

A Man Called Ove was such a wonderful, heart-warming (and wrenching) little book. The main character was both thoroughly unlikeable and desperately loveable, and the way that Backman wove in a whole host of different characters from different backgrounds and motivations was masterful. 

This book made me ugly cry beyond any that I’ve read in a long time, and I would 100% take that devastation all over again because I loved every second of it.

The Book Synopsis: A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

Meet Ove. He’s a curmudgeon, the kind of man who points at people he dislikes as if they were burglars caught outside his bedroom window. He has staunch principles, strict routines, and a short fuse. People call him the bitter neighbor from hell, but must Ove be bitter just because he doesn’t walk around with a smile plastered to his face all the time?

Behind the cranky exterior there is a story and a sadness. So when one November morning a chatty young couple with two chatty young daughters move in next door and accidentally flatten Ove’s mailbox, it is the lead-in to a comical and heartwarming tale of unkempt cats, unexpected friendship, and the ancient art of backing up a U-Haul. All of which will change one cranky old man and a local residents’ association to their very foundations.

The Review

Oh my goodness, my heart! What a lovely, moving story.

I loved Ove from the beginning. He’s perpetually cranky and doesn’t have a single positive bone in his body, except for when it comes to the love of his life. Backman does a wonderful job of helping Ove’s personality unfold over time through a mix of present-day and flashbacks, allowing you to see how Ove became who he is, and the people and experiences that shaped him. This approach quickly endeared him to me, particularly as you see the complexities of life and love that intersect with Ove’s personality and how he chooses to manage those influences. I loved seeing how he related to the world and guessing how he would approach things as they came. 

I also loved Backman’s writing style. The story had a perfect balance between emotion and humour, and the character development was flawless. In particular, I really enjoyed seeing the way that Backman slowly developed the concept of community, and how it evolved through Ove’s eyes. Ove instinctively holds a sense of social good (albeit a standard so high normal people fail to achieve it in his mind), but watching his perspective shift as he learns more about the people in his neighbourhood and what it means to actually be a good neighbour and, eventually, a friend, is magical. It’s found family in a way that felt really unique and wholesome and that left you with a little more faith in the world.

The way the narrative unfolded I mostly saw coming, but towards the end it took a sharp turn that I didn’t expect, and the last whole 60 pages hit with such incredible emotion and growth that I couldn’t put it down. In the end I was sobbing because I was so invested in Ove and the people that came to make his life worth living again. 

This was such a wonderful book full of heart and one I’d recommend if you feel like you need either to believe in humanity again, have a really good cry, or maybe a mix of both. This definitely won’t be my last Backman novel.