A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
Reviewed by Audrey Redmond

Ove is a cranky old man, perhaps the grumpiest man you’ll ever get to know. You know the type – many of us may even have one in our own community – one who is very regimented, highly principled, and has a short temper.

Ove is the self-appointed guardian of his housing complex, much to the chagrin of his neighbors, and doesn’t mind telling them in not-so-subtle ways when they’ve broken a neighborhood rule.

But as you get to know Ove, you realize he’s more than just the stereotypical grouch. He’s no stranger to hardship and has demonstrated honor in facing the challenges life has thrown at him from his childhood throughout his 59 years.  He can do anything mechanical so well that his wife called him the strangest superhero she had ever known.

By the time we meet Ove, all he really wants is to be left alone.  He can’t find the peaceful, solitary existence he wants because it is the last thing his pesky new neighbor thinks he needs. Will his superhero powers be a match for her determination?

This story is both heartbreaking and heartwarming and may inspire you to re-think your assessment of the curmudgeon in your neighborhood. You’ll have a hard time putting this book down until you find out whether the cantankerous old man who begrudgingly saves several people ends up being saved himself.

4.5 out of 5 stars