book review - a man called Ove

My husband had borrowed this book from one of his reader friend for me and it laid there in the corner for a good number of months. Out of blue, Raja comes home in the evening and says " he asked me back his book. I am going to take it back if you don't start reading it in next ten days!!".

That threat is what made me take up the book to try and to my astonishment, I dived right into the world of imagination from  page 1. The story flows flawlessly at a good speed, with a mixture of emotions. 

The main character Ove is so well built by the author, you can't help but stop and savior it. 

The way author built Ove through out the book is very delicate. Its a balance of showcasing  Ove as a grumpy old man with a cold heart, yet a very tender fellow when he can travel an hour and a half in the wrong direction of station just to sit with Sonja and listen to her. 

Everything from the starting chapters starts making sense as you read on while you look back and start connecting the facts and why Ove is the way he is. 

Ove's life of principles and the way he performs his duties of life regardless of the situation he is in is motivating. Ove's wife dies on Sunday. After finishing her final goodbye, he is back in his office on Monday. One can also draw a similarity with the teachings of Lord Krishna in Shrimad bhagavat gita where he reminds of the duties one has to perform in one's life may he be in any situation. 

Its gripping, witty in making fun of difficult situations of life and its moving.

Definitely a good read to remember for a long time. There are things in the book which made me reflect upon things in life. The fine details Fredrick weaves to form a thick imagination in the head is mind-blowing. At times, a few lines of the story in the late chapters connects back to the starting chapters.

There are so many lines that became my favorite in this book that I cannot jot down them all.

One of my most favorite lines from the book is below:

Picture of the book from the place where i read most of it on a plastic chair & smoke in air!

Author:

Fredrik Backman !!

Fredrik Backman (born 2 June 1981) is a Swedish columnist, blogger and writer. He is the author of the novels A Man Called Ove, My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry and Britt-Marie Was Here. All three books were number-one bestsellers in his native Sweden and are being published in more than 25 languages. He lives in Stockholm with his wife and two children.