Fredrik Backman: A Man Called Ove

Hi everyone

With all the buzz around Fredrik Backman's A Man Called Ove (both the book and the movie) I’ve been seeing it everywhere. I finally decided to give it a try on my e-reader.

"At first sight, Ove is almost certainly the grumpiest man you will ever meet. He thinks himself surrounded by idiots - neighbours who can't reverse a trailer properly, joggers, shop assistants who talk in code, and the perpetrators of the vicious coup d'etat that ousted him as Chairman of the Residents' Association. He will persist in making his daily inspection rounds of the local streets.
But isn't it rare, these days, to find such old-fashioned clarity of belief and deed? Such unswerving conviction about what the world should be, and a lifelong dedication to making it just so?
In the end, you will see, there is something about Ove that is quite irresistible . . ."

I get what Backman was going for; the "grumpy old man with a hidden heart" trope is a classic, and I can see why so many people love it. But for me, A Man Called Ove fell flat.
I didn’t enjoy Ove as a character. His grumpiness felt more exhausting than endearing, and the side characters didn’t win me over either. There was no nuance or deep character arcs. The story tries to be funny, but the humor didn’t land for me. Instead of laughing, I found myself struggling to get through it. I even fast-read parts, hoping it would get better,but it never really did.

I don’t think this is a bad book; it’s clearly resonated with millions of readers. But for me, the tone and characters just didn’t connect. 

Have you read A Man Called Ove? Did you love Ove’s journey, or did you struggle with it too? I’d love to hear your thoughts! 

Happy reading!
Helena