A Man Called Ove is about a 59-year old Swedish curmudgeon who really comes into himself after two major life events, two losses to be more precise, and with the help of his new neighbors. The book proves my thoughts on life - that connection with others is one of the keys to a meaningful life. The reader gets to see that Ove's life takes on new meaning once he's personally connected to his neighbors, both young and old.
One thing that struck me as I was reading the book was that Ove is 59 years old. Now that isn't old! I had to remind myself frequently that I wasn't reading a book about an 80-year old man. He's... well, he's... okay, basically my age. One point made in the book is that life looks different when you're looking at your future life being shorter than what you can look back upon. But that doesn't mean that you're old - or that life is over. I took it as a reminder that I need to live life as best I can until the last possible minute. Frankly, some people are just old souls and I believe that with Ove's fairly sad upbringing, he was naturally an old soul with a strong sense of right and wrong.
I loved the cast of characters. I loved getting to know Ove's neighbors (both people and animals) and I loved the nicknames he called each one of them by, sometimes in his head, sometimes out loud. I loved that they were able to draw together as a community after so many years of being disconnected. I could very easily picture Ove's friendship with Rune, the man a few houses down who moved in with his wife the same day that Ove and his wife moved in, years earlier.
Ove's changes were realistic. People can change. Sometimes it's too late but other times it's not too late. Ove's story is somewhere in between.
The book is humorous at times and bittersweet at others. It was a quick easy read and I'd recommend it to nearly anyone who enjoys reading character studies.
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