On the HahaFiction shelf
A Man Called Ove
Audiobook available
Ove has rules for how a neighborhood ought to run, and little patience for anyone who breaks them. After a young family damages his mailbox while moving in, the grieving man's orderly solitude becomes much harder to maintain. His new neighbor Parvaneh keeps finding reasons for him to get involved.
From the publisher’s blurb
“He has staunch principles, strict routines, and a short fuse.”Read the full description at Atria Books, publisher description
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What makes it funny?
The opening shopping trip turns a request for a computer into an argument about tablets, laptops and the apparent scandal of a missing keyboard. Ove treats each explanation as a fresh insult to common sense. Readers in book-recommendation groups also enjoy his exasperated voice and the help he gives so grudgingly.
The comedy at work
Backman lets Ove sound thoroughly unreasonable while gradually showing why people can rely on him. Kirkus singles out the gap between his hostile opinions and generous actions; the past unfolds in alternating chapters as his neighbors deal with the man he has become.
Try this if…
For readers who like neighborhood stories with an abrasive central character and a strong emotional pull. Book-group readers repeatedly describe laughter followed by tears, though some find themselves quietly chuckling rather than laughing aloud.
Good to know
Bereavement and suicide attempts are central to the story. The warmth and humor share space with sustained sadness. Reactions to Ove vary: one reader preferred the film's portrayal, and others describe the humor as quiet smiles and chuckles.
More funny contemporary & literary
Sources & further reading
- A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman, Simon & Schuster
Publisher
- Reader discussion
Reader discussion
- Kirkus review
Review
- Publisher and opening excerpt
Publisher
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