Highlights include: when he berates the manager of an electronics store for telling him an iPad is not a computer his daily security checks around his neighborhood – especially his obsession with the parking rules spending his entire vacation in Spain fixing people’s broken cars and fences and most memorably, punching a clown at the hospital. The book has some very funny moments that often draw back towards a deeper meaning and understanding of the heart of Ove. Despite the dark humor filled plot, the story still manages to be uplifting. The further Ove tries to draw back in to reclusion, the more people he collects in his life (not to mention a stray cat who begins to follow him around). The whole story arc is an escalating joke. The problem is that his pesky neighbors won’t leave him alone long enough to get the job done. After losing his wife and anchor in this ever-changing world, he decides his time has come too. The story centers on a man who just wants to die.

So, what is it about this grumpy old man that has garnered him so much attention? First of all, both the book and the movie are wickedly funny. The recent movie adaptation also earned two Academy Award nominations, including Best Foreign Language Film. At his core, Ove is a good person, but his downfall stems from his deep inflexibility and resistance to adapt in a changing and unsympathetic world.Īs a New York Times bestseller, this Swedish novel drew attention to Ove’s fictional plight worldwide. In some ways, Ove seems predisposed to anger and hostility, but as the story dives into his past we uncover a man who has faced many hardships leading him to develop a strict set of principles for how the world should function. But did you ever stop to think how he ended up this way? Or how one day you could too?Ī Man Called Ove, written by Fredrik Backman, tells the story of one of these familiar curmudgeons. He harasses you for minor offenses like texting too frequently or playing music too loudly.

We all know that person, the grumpy old crank who seems to derive his main enjoyment in life from stirring up trouble with everyone he meets.

Book called a man called ove