Now Read This: 'A Man Called Ove' by Fredrik Backman

Don't you love to talk about your favorite books with others? Irene, a library concierge volunteer who is always reading something interesting, recently recommended I read "A Man Called Ove" by Fredrik Backman. When I discovered the library owns an audiobook version, I saved it for my next trip to visit the grandchildren.

I couldn't figure out why Irene was a little impatient for me to listen to it, until I finally went on a road trip and pushed the play button. What a wonderfully funny and poignant story. Many times I caught myself laughing out loud or just grinning. Backman is a Swedish blogger and columnist, and after publishing this, his first novel, he was reported to be the most successful author in Sweden in 2013.

It's the story of Ove, a curmudgeonly man if there ever was one. He believes rules are made to be followed and signs are to be obeyed. Everything is either black or white. As the book opens, he is mourning the loss of his dead wife. Through flashbacks in the book, the reader catches glimpses of Ove's courtship of his wife and their life together. She was the yin to his yang, the positive to his negative. It is her voice in his head that prompts him to do the right thing, to be compassionate, to help others.

But she's been dead four years, and Ove has truly lost the will to live. He attempts to end his life several times, but each time he is about to commit the deed, he is interrupted by a neighbor needing his help. It's the Iranian pregnant woman, or the overweight young techie, or the young man stealing a bicycle to fix to impress a girl, or the longtime neighbor whose husband (and Ove's former best friend) is now suffering from Alzheimer's and is about to be taken from his wife. All these wonderfully quirky characters help Ove discover new reasons to go on living. The Iranian woman becomes his savior, helping him find his purpose in life. Her children, ages 3 and 7, call him grandpa.

There is so much to love about this book. One of the professional reviewers wanted to award the book the Most Charming Book of the Year.

NoveList listed several books as read-alikes: "The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry" by Gabrielle Zevin and "The Widower's Tale" by Julia Glass, both of which the library owns. And if you're looking for other good suggestions of books, you may want to stop and chat with Irene on Wednesday afternoons when she's on concierge duty!

Happy readings!

Betty Martin

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About Betty

Betty Martin is director of the Cape Girardeau Public Library.