A Man Called Ove

by Fredrick Backman
4 out of 5 stars

The Goodreads blurb does a pretty good job of painting a summary of this book's plot. But don't think this is a Walter Matheau kind of romp about a crabby old man and the various hilarious hijinks that ensue, because there's way more to this book than that. Read some of the quotes for a glimpse into the depth of emotion that this book will take you. E.g.,

"She just smiled, said that she loved books more than anything, and started telling him excitedly what each of the ones in her lap was about. And Ove realized that he wanted to hear her talking about the things she loved for the rest of his life.”

"Death is a strange thing. People live their whole lives as if it does not exist, and yet it's often one of the great motivations for the living. Some of us, in time, become so conscious of it that we live harder, more obstinately, with more fury. Some need its constant presence to even be aware of its antithesis. Others become so preoccupied with it that they go into the waiting room long before it has announced its arrival."

A Man Called Ove has definitely got humor  (and some hijinks), but also a hefty dose of sadness (not the deterring kind, the kind that makes you nod and sigh), and the writing, which is at times poetic, goes much deeper than a made-for-tv movie. I thought it was a wonderful character study that's also an epic love story  -- one whose ending is both unexpected and expected.