A Man Called Ove
by Fredrik Backman, 2014.
I think I picked up this book because of its cover & title; I wasn't familiar with the book or heard any recommendations, other than what was on the cover--and that was from People magazine, not exactly known for its literary reviews.
Then, after reading the first chapter, I almost decided to give up on it: an old man, trying to buy something electronic, frustrating & angering the poor man working the retail counter. Kinda amusing, but also too close to home (as someone who works at Target and has to deal with all kinds of "interesting" people.)
But I gave it a chance, and I was glad I did, as soon I couldn't get enough of it. Ove is quite a character, but could be like me in some respects. He "patrols" the neighborhood to make sure everyone is obeying all the rules of his community, and gets frustrated with people who are stupid.
How did he get to be so grumpy? Is there anything good in Ove? If so, will anyone ever be able to see it, and will he ever show it?
As the People recommendation stated, "You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll feel new sympathy for the curmudgeons in your life."
Backman is Swedish, which is where this book takes place. There are a few times when the translation wasn't perfect or the place names seemed awkward to me, but in general it didn't matter. This was his debut novel, written in 2012. Until writing this & looking him up on Wikipedia, I hadn't realized that there was a movie made (Christmas 2015), but I don't know if it's been released outside Europe.
Mom saw this book on my nightstand when she & Dad visited back in April. I recommended it to her, and offered to buy her a copy, but she was going to try to pick it up at the library. I imagine it'll be a book club favorite, though. I do recommend it to anyone--even if you have to buy a copy for yourself!
I think I picked up this book because of its cover & title; I wasn't familiar with the book or heard any recommendations, other than what was on the cover--and that was from People magazine, not exactly known for its literary reviews.
Then, after reading the first chapter, I almost decided to give up on it: an old man, trying to buy something electronic, frustrating & angering the poor man working the retail counter. Kinda amusing, but also too close to home (as someone who works at Target and has to deal with all kinds of "interesting" people.)
But I gave it a chance, and I was glad I did, as soon I couldn't get enough of it. Ove is quite a character, but could be like me in some respects. He "patrols" the neighborhood to make sure everyone is obeying all the rules of his community, and gets frustrated with people who are stupid.
How did he get to be so grumpy? Is there anything good in Ove? If so, will anyone ever be able to see it, and will he ever show it?
As the People recommendation stated, "You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll feel new sympathy for the curmudgeons in your life."
Backman is Swedish, which is where this book takes place. There are a few times when the translation wasn't perfect or the place names seemed awkward to me, but in general it didn't matter. This was his debut novel, written in 2012. Until writing this & looking him up on Wikipedia, I hadn't realized that there was a movie made (Christmas 2015), but I don't know if it's been released outside Europe.
Mom saw this book on my nightstand when she & Dad visited back in April. I recommended it to her, and offered to buy her a copy, but she was going to try to pick it up at the library. I imagine it'll be a book club favorite, though. I do recommend it to anyone--even if you have to buy a copy for yourself!