“People said Ove saw the world in black and white. But she was color. All the color he had.”

A Man Called Ove, by Fredrik Backman, is one of the best books I’ve read in a while. It’s a story about Ove, who has lost his one true love, his wife Sonja, and how he wants to give up his own life because he doesn’t see purpose in life anymore. While he tries to come up with multiple ways to end his life, he always gets interrupted by something happening in his neighborhood.

Ove seems to be bothered by the fact that nobody in his neighborhood will let him carry out his mission, but secretly he loves that he feels needed and is reluctant to help his neighbors even though he knows he can fix whatever it is faster and more efficient then them. He likes to complain about young people, cars, hospitals, coffeeshops and everything and anything else. The book is filled with many quirky characters and Ove is the quirkiest of them all.

It’s a beautifully written novel about loss, love, acceptance and moving on. It’s sad, heartbreaking and funny all at the same time. You may even tear up a bit. Take the time to read each chapter and to appreciate them as they are. The connections between the chapters will all make sense, eventually, so take your time reading and soak up all the words. I highly recommend reading this book and definitely read it in a coffeeshop (you’ll understand)…

“Love is strange. It takes you by surprise.”

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