A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I couldn’t have started my year better by finishing this book and sighing how beautifully it ended. I feel this book is universally meant to be read by all; it renews values and important life lessons that we need to be reminded of in this complex world of distractions and infinite desires to own and accomplish.
A Man Called Ove by Fredrick Backman begins with the author describing the protagonist and his ways of living life. His perfect routine of working throughout the day and his obsession to stick to his habits may irritate current millennials; inflexible to change his ideas or choices whatever may the case be, Ove is an old but strong man who is a very relatable character to grandfathers living in this age.
When I started reading, I had to drag myself forward to next chapters since I found nothing is happening. The author keeps on talking about Ove and his ways and manners.
But Ove does things the way they’re supposed to be done.
It only starts pacing when there is the introduction of two important ladies- one dead and one heavily pregnant.
Parvaneh and her family of two daughters and a husband seem to be a nightmare for Ove who tries various ways to end his life. Now, why does he want to end his life? Well, because he finds no purpose of living without his wife, Sonja.
But if anyone had asked, he would have told them that he never lived before he met her. And not after, either.
This book successfully made me tear up a little in the end. It is filled with episodes of failure, laughter, love and so many emotions even though Ove seems to be a black and white character. Sonja plays the role of warmth and understanding for the protagonist and he too reflects the same with utter dedication till the end. It was impressive to read such a simple story of a hardworking man with high morals and his undying love for his wife; how he deals with the circumstances that occur after his new foreign neighbour almost forcefully saves him from his own destruction, giving him the purpose of living that he needed the most.
She often said that ‘all roads lead to something you were always predestined to do’. And for her, perhaps, it was something. But for Ove it was someone.
A Man Called Ove is an essential must read. Highly recommend this book to be read when your spirit seems a bit low or you need a hearty laugh. I promise, you will remember long after you have finished reading.
Eternally Bonkers 
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