Book Review #124: A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

A grumpy man called Ove sticks to the same routine, happy with his solitary life. But when a young, eccentric family move in next door, his life changes forever.

I bought this book after watching 'A Man Called Otto'. I already loved the story, so I wanted to read the original version of it. I also wanted to see if the book would make me as emotional as the film did.

I absolutely loved this book.

The opening chapter is a great way to introduce the characters. Even though it's short, we get to know Ove really quickly, which goes a long way in getting the reader to love him.

One of the best things about Ove as a character was how amazing his development was. Everything that happened made sense, but it was so slow and steady that we see him changing in real-time, which is really interesting.

Because I definitely fell in love with Ove. But in saying that, I also fell in love with all the characters. They were such an eclectic bunch, there's definitely someone for everyone to love - but all of them are great and have a huge part in creating this story.

The story goes back and forth between the past and present, and I loved this. It was never confusing and gave the reader a lot of insight into why Ove was the way he was.

The writing is so beautiful throughout, but this beauty is definitely highlighted in the chapters about Ove and Sonja.

One of my favourite tropes is found family, and this is such a good example of that.

And in terms of the emotion the film gave, the book did the same thing. I've never cried so hard while reading a book.

Overall, read this book. That's it. It's amazing, and as much as I loved the film, the book definitely has a bit more to love.

5/5