A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
This book was recommended to me on Amazon about a year ago, after reading Out of Sorts and The Red Notebook. I’m not sure why I was resistant to reading it at first but now I’m so glad that I did. The author was even in town a few weeks ago and I had a feeling that I should have gone but I didn’t. Next time though!
Ove is the grumpiest old man one can possibly imagine. He thinks if you don’t drive a Saab you’re an idiot, if you can’t back up a trailer you shouldn’t even be driving, and there’s nothing worse than a bureaucrat in a white button-up shirt. But, like with most people, there’s a reason he is the way he is. And it is a beautiful story. Parvaneh, his 30-year-old Iranian neighbor, is the perfect contrast to Ove and has a certain way about her that brings him out of his hard shell.
I listed to the audio version of this book and I’m so glad I did in order to hear all over the pronunciations correctly. I thought “Ove” was pronounced like “stove” without the “st” but it’s actually “ooo-vuh.”
5/5 Stars