By Fredrik Backman
Where did I find this?
Every now and again I get tired of non-fiction and yearn to hear a good story, artfully told, as an escape from the everyday. When choosing these stories, I usually stick to the fantasy and science fiction genres, so I cannot really recall why I chose to pick up this book. These kinds of real world settings and long dramatic arcs usually are more the province of my darling wife and her book clubs. However, for some reason I did pick up this relatively obscure novel by the Swedish author Fredrik Backman, and I am extremely thankful for this.
Should you buy this?
10/10 – Drop everything and read this, now.
The story centers around the life of Ove and his life and history in a small Swedish town. I won’t talk at length about the plot other than to say that the narrative journey of this book was often unexpected and at its best humbling and awe inspiring. The premise that sprang to mind initially was that of the lovable curmudgeon, however, that would be a very superficial take on what is an incredibly deep story. As a character Ove will resonate with people in that while we often think these kinds of negative thoughts but restrain them, he does the opposite, voicing his inner monologue to the world.
When thinking back on my time enjoying this book I can remember laughing, crying and being moved to tell my family that I love them, with drastic urgency. I would challenge anyone to listen to the life of Ove and not be hit deeply and directly by his story. In my case this feeling grew slowly, until I became aware that I was enraptured and looking forward to the next encounter with Ove – and at the end was sad that our time together was over. I have since read some of Backman’s other works, however, none have hit me with such force as a man called Ove.
If you have not had this story as a part of your life I recommend dropping what you are doing and rushing to get a copy.
Think Live Grow 
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