A Man Called Ove, By Fredrick Backman
“Ove is fifty-nine
He drives a Saab. He’s the kind of man who points at people he doesn’t like the look of, as if they were burglars and his forefinger a policeman’s flashlight. He stands at the counter of a shop where owners of Japanese cars come to purchase white cables. Ove eyes the sales assistant for a long time before shaking a medium sized box at him.”
“So this is one of those O-Pads, is it”? he demands”.
The brusque Ove harangues the  shop assistant further.
Ove is angry because the world’s moved on and he hasn’t. Ove is a curmudgeon. He patrols the neighborhood daily and relishes the chance to bring any breaches of the rules to the Residents Association to the attentions of his fellows. He has recently been made redundant and we learn that he has lost most of his purpose in living. His life until recently has revolved around his job and his wife.
Naturally he is annoyed when a young disruptive family moves in next to him one day. This leads to sequence of events is both touching and intriguing as we learn more behind the curmudgeonly exterior of Ove.
From the dust jacket: “he is a curmudgeon with staunch principles, strict routines and a short fuse.”
This debut novel from Sweden is a very enjoyable book to read. Especially if like me you fall in the curmudgeonly end of the spectrum. In our spare time we curmudgeons peruse the internet shaking our heads at all the bad lack that befalls man and the lack of regard for common sense and manners. I suspect that is what Ove wanted to purchase an O-Pad for.
This year I resolve to spend less time on my O-pad and more time reading and reviewing.
Happy New Year.
