A Man Called Ove - Book Review

I generally don't do book reviews. I read for pleasure, gaining more knowledge, passing time, having a wider perspective. Basically for consumption. I might bring about some anecdotes learnt from books in casual conversations here and there. But nothing more. Books are a gateway for me to reflect. It has always been this way.  

But there are some rare books that demand an exception. A kind of book that moves you on so many levels that it becomes important to bare you heart out. It demands being talked about. It compels you to share what you are feeling. Because what you are feeling is a combination of so many emotions that if you don't talk about it you will be overwhelmed. And you know that once you talk about it, you will feel so much lighter. Because you know that you will have spread a story that is, without an iota of doubt, a kind of story that is needed so much in today's times. It's importance in today's world cannot be overestimated. Such purity in emotions is rare and that is what makes A Man Called Ove such a rare treat. 

At it's heart, A Man Called Ove is the story of a 59 year old widower. Ove is a principled man. A man who feels that what defines a man is not what he speaks but his actions. A man with such strong beliefs that he is ready to fight with anyone for it. An inflexible man. A grumpy man. A man who doesn't care even a bit of how he is perceived. A simple man with tremendous clarity of thought. A man who never minces his words. A man whose behavior is completely in sync with his feelings and a man who's beliefs are unwavering even in the most difficult of times. 

But to understand Ove is not so simple. Ove is not simply a product of his circumstances. Neither is what Ove is simply a product of heredity or upbringing nor he is an output of a combination of these factors. Ove is simply himself despite everything around him.

And what happens when such a man loses the only person he loved? A person for whom Ove has fought day and night with the world. A person who is the only source of color in his life. A person who had accepted Ove as he is and never ever demanded that he change. A person who loved Ove wholeheartedly just as he is. The only person whom Ove could speak what was in his heart.  How do you cope up with such a loss? This is the heart of Ove's story. 

Ove has lost his wife to cancer. It has been 6 months now. Ove's work has kept him engaged in the meanwhile. But now Ove has been asked to resign from a pace where he has worked for more than 3 decades and never taken a day off. He decides that it is time he meet his wife. The same day a family moves opposite to Ove's house. A pregnant Iranian women with her husband a two daughters. The events that unfold hereafter is what makes book. Ove's attempts to take his own life are interrupted every time by fate. And slowly, with time Ove rediscovers his purpose. The book also shows glimpses of Ove's life till date. His relationship with his father, his wife, his neighbors and the people he worked with. At the face of it it might seem an ordinary tale. But Ove's story is anything but ordinary.  

I am not going to give any spoilers here. Because I suggest every person to read this book. There is so much to learn not only from Ove but also from other characters in the book. Sonja, Ove's wife is the epitome of positivity. Parvaneh, Ove's pregnant Iranian neighbor, sees beyond Ove's tough facade and understands his heart. Ove's boss at work knows that the character of a person is more important than anything. All the characters in the book is powerfully enriching. 

A note also to Fredrik Backman's exceptional writing style. It is extremely engrossing and never preachy. He has a rare quality that can bring both tear and smile on your face with a single sentence. And leave you either spellbound or restless for more with a few lines. Definitely an author to look forward to. 

Let me say at last that there are only two books that have made my swell. A Thousand Splendid Suns and A Man Called Ove. I am going to go back to Ove. Definitely again and again. For it has touched me on so many levels.