A Man Called Ove

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

Paperback, 294 pages

Published 7th May 2015 by Sceptre

(First published 27th August 2012)

Shelves: adult-fiction, better-than-expected, comfort-novels, lasting-impression, mental-health, read-in-2021, realistic-fiction, really-good, suicide

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Description via Goodreads:

At first sight, Ove is almost certainly the grumpiest man you will ever meet. He thinks himself surrounded by idiots - neighbours who can't reverse a trailer properly, joggers, shop assistants who talk in code, and the perpetrators of the vicious coup d'etat that ousted him as Chairman of the Residents' Association. He will persist in making his daily inspection rounds of the local streets.

But isn't it rare, these days, to find such old-fashioned clarity of belief and deed? Such unswerving conviction about what the world should be, and a lifelong dedication to making it just so?

In the end, you will see, there is something about Ove that is quite irresistible...

The word-of-mouth bestseller causing a sensation across Europe, Fredrik Backman's heartwarming debut is a funny, moving, uplifting tale of love and community that will leave you with a spring in your step - and less ready to judge on first impressions a man you might one day wish to have as your dearest friend.

As a member of several book communities, there are certain books that I see mentioned again and again. Whenever someone is looking for fiction recommendations, you can almost guarantee that the book 'A Man Called Ove' will be mentioned at some point - though likely, you'll find several fans. When there's a lot of hype surrounding a book, I often end up feeling disappointed, but thankfully that wasn't the case with this one. Fredrick Backman is rapidly gaining popularity - especially due to his most recent book and upcoming Netflix series Anxious People -  and after reading his work for myself, it's completely understandable why his popularity is only increasing. 

I didn't really know what to expect from A Man Called Ove, only knowing that it is constantly getting rave reviews from many readers. Admittedly, it took me a little time to get into it - I did feel, initially, that Ove seemed a little too forced, too much of a caricature of your typical 'grumpy old man' stereotype, but as the book progressed I became more understanding of Ove as he grows into a very authentic character. I think several people will take some time to understand and empathise with Ove and that's the charm of this book - like the characters surrounding him, we initially only see a lonely, complaining curmudgeon but we quickly come to learn his history and his true self. Like any well-written character, I could relate to Ove in small ways and definitely saw some features of others within him. Though he's not an immediately loveable person, you just can't help but see that he has a big heart. 

Though this book isn't particularly long, there is an impressive amount of growth and development for both Ove and those around him. This book is essentially a character study of Ove, letting us know how his mind works, all his thoughts and feelings and most importantly, how and why he thinks and acts the way he does - there are of course some external plots,  events serving to allow us further into our protagonist's mind and history. Occasionally, some parts felt slightly slow or repetitive (the parking situation), but overall the story kept my attention well.

There are so many serious issues touched upon in this book without it ever feeling too 'heavy' - if you are feeling upset at any point, you can guarantee that there'll soon be some humour to cheer you up again.  Though the book is very comedic in style, it also addresses some very serious and potentially dark issues such as suicide and grief. Ove's past history is a key factor of the book and the story comes across as both beautiful and heartbreaking in equal amounts. His story - his life - is one of loss, growth, grief, friendship and new beginnings. I laughed, I cried and I now understand why so many people across the globe have fallen in love with both this book.

It's actually been a few months since I read this story, but I still think about it and I still think about Ove - to me, that's the sign of fantastic writing - a story that stays with you long after you close the last pages. Fredrik Backman is clearly an exceptional character creator and story-teller. This book is repeatedly described as 'charming' and I completely see why - it is the perfect descriptor for this book and for Ove. This is a real treasure of a book that I will continue to recommend to all.

After the Fall

After the Fall by Charity Norman

Paperback, 366 pages

Expected publication: 3rd January 2013 by Allen & Unwin

My shelves: adult-fiction, arc-or-review, better-than-expected, comfort-novels, currently-reading, drink-and-drugs, mum-has, read-in-2012, realistic-fiction, really-good

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Description via Goodreads:

In the quiet of a New Zealand winter's night, a rescue helicopter is sent to airlift a five-year-old boy with severe internal injuries. He's fallen from the upstairs veranda of an isolated farmhouse, and his condition is critical. At first, Finn's fall looks like a horrible accident; after all, he's prone to sleepwalking. Only his frantic mother, Martha McNamara, knows how it happened. And she isn't telling. Not yet. Maybe not ever. Tragedy isn't what the McNamara family expected when they moved to New Zealand. For Martha, it was an escape. For her artist husband Kit, it was a dream. For their small twin boys, it was an adventure. For fifteen-year-old Sacha, it was the start of a nightmare. They end up on the isolated east coast of the North Island, seemingly in the middle of a New Zealand tourism campaign. But their peaceful idyll is soon shattered as the choices Sacha makes lead the family down a path which threatens to destroy them all. Martha finds herself facing a series of impossible decisions, each with devastating consequences for her family.

Buy this book:

The Book Depository / Amazon (US/INT) / Amazon UK

My thanks go to Allen & Unwin for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review.

There are so many things that I would like to express about this book, but it is difficult. I'm writing this review quite some time after finishing it, yet the story and the characters still linger in my mind. I didn't have any expectations for this book - I hadn't read a book by this author before and hadn't read any reviews for her books. I read the blurb and it appealed to me, so I gave it a go. I had no idea that I would enjoy this one so much.

As you may know, I'm a huge Jodi Picoult fan and love the ideas behind her books. As soon as an author is compared to Picoult, I immediately do want to check them out, but I also have a sense of wariness - those are big boots to fill! Thankfully, Norman was one of those authors who certainly lived up to the comparison. The storyline of this book contains so many issues that are explored in a very interesting way. I also didn't find the book predictable - there were a lot of characters and so there could have been so many different outcomes. Though this book is aimed towards adults, I am sure that there will be a lot of young adult book readers will enjoy this one too.

The book mainly revolves around Martha, the mother of Finn, a boy who has been involved in a very serious accident at their home in the middle of the night. Only Martha knows what really happened - neither we nor the other characters in the book know what truly happened to cause the boy such severe injuries. After reading about the consequences of the accident, we learn more about how Finn came to be in that position.

The story moves back and forth in time, following the Martha, Finn and the rest of the McNamara family who have recently decided to move from England to New Zealand. I can't recall reading a book set in New Zealand, or at least not one that introduced me to some of the cultural Maori influences and traditions - I enjoyed discovering more about this culture which I previously didn't know all that much about. I was initially concerned that I would find all of the information a little tedious or overwhelming, but that wasn't the case at all. The story was mostly based around the characters and their emotions, which is what I really enjoyed.

The characters in this book were very complex and very real. I really came to like the characters, though I did feel suspicious of all of them at the beginning as I didn't know what had happened to Finn - like I've said, it is hard to predict what had happened or who to trust. There is such a history behind all of the characters, especially Martha's husband, Kit. Kit was one of those characters that just felt so solid and genuine - he was imperfect and this only added to his authenticity. Finn's twin brother was so sweet and did act like a true child - the bod between him and his brother was certainly something special. Finn's older sister, Sacha, is a feisty, troubled teenager and plays a huge role in this book, being the only member of the family who firmly dislikes her new home in New Zealand. Her emotions were very strong and came through fantasitcally well. The supporting characters were also fantastic, stabilising the story and adding an extra element to it.

Overall, I think that you can probably tell that I loved this book! A book that leaves you thinking about it for weeks afterwards is definitely an effective read. This is a perfect read for any time of the year, especially if you want something that isn't difficult but has a good amount of substance behind it. Perfect for Jodi Picoult fans. I absolutely can't wait to read more of Norman's work!

Lone Wolf

Lone Wolf by Jodi Picoult

Hardback, 384 pages

Expected Publication: February 28th 2012 by Hodder & Stoughton

My shelves: adult-fiction, arc-or-review, books-i-own, comfort-novels, currently-reading, medical-conditions, read-in-2012, realistic-fiction, hodder and stoughton

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Description via Goodreads:

Edward Warren, 23, has been living in Thailand for five years, a prodigal son who left his family after an irreparable fight with his father, Luke. But he gets a frantic phone call: His dad lies comatose in a NH hospital, gravely injured in the same accident that has also injured his younger sister Cara.

Cara, 17, stll holds a grudge against her brother, since his departure led to her parents’ divorce. In the aftermath, she’s lived with her father – an animal conservationist who became famous after living with a wild wolf pack in the Canadian wild. It is impossible for her to reconcile the still, broken man in the hospital bed with her vibrant, dynamic father.

With Luke’s chances for recovery dwindling, Cara wants to wait for a miracle. But Edward wants to terminate life support and donate his father’s organs. Is he motivated by altruism, or revenge? And to what lengths will his sister go to stop him from making an irrevocable decision?

My thanks go to Hodder & Stoughton for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review.

As soon as I heard about Jodi Picoult's latest novel, I just had to get my hands on a copy. When I did receive a copy from the publishers, I just couldn't wait to get started on it! Whilst I haven't read them all, I've read most of Jodi Picoult's novels and I've really enjoyed them, giving her a firm place in my favourite authors. 

I'll start by admitting that I was slightly wary of the 'wolf' aspect of this book. Whilst I love animals, I'm not usually keen on reading about them and I have had no interest in wolves before. Still, I really wanted to read it just because of the author. Thankfully, once again, she didn't let me down! 

Picoult does go into detail about wolves as they play a huge part in the novel, as you can expect simply from the title. I never felt overwhelmed by this information though - it became very fascinating and it's clear that a great amount of research went into the writing. I was extremely impressed with how Picoult formed the story - the recollections of Luke's time living with wolves worked extremely well in parallelling the events that were happening in the present. However, this book is not just about wolves - It is also about relationships, loyalty and family. It's also a novel about deciding what is right, not only for yourself, but for others. It's about letting go of perceptions, beliefs and people.

There are several important characters, the main ones being Luke, Cara, Edward, Georgie and Joe, which we get to hear from as they independently narrate. Luke is the father of Cara and Edward, as well as the ex-husband of Georgie. He is our central character in this novel as the story revolves around him. After a car crash with his daughter, he is left in a coma and it must be decided what to do - turn off the machine that is keeping him alive so that his organs can be donated, or keep him alive and wait for a miracle? We learn more about Luke through accounts of his time living with wolves and through the thoughts and actions of his children and his ex-wife. Even after completing the book, I am still torn on my thoughts regarding Luke, but I think that it's a good thing that the author still has me thinking, even after I've finished reading.


All of the characters that we are introduced to are deeply complex and have had so many experiences that have shaped and affected them. They each have distinctive voices opinions and it is interesting to see how they all interact. Picoult is fantastic at portraying the characters that she has created and allows us to really get to know them and feel their emotions. 

Picoult has a formula that she knows works - she crafts realistic stories, adds twists and turns, throws in well written arguments for both sides of often controversial topics and manages to come up with stories that have an impact upon you. 
If you liked her previous novels, there's no doubt that you'll enjoy this one just as much. If you haven't read any of her novels before, I promise you that you are missing out! I'd have no hesitation in recommending this book to anyone. This is yet another astonishing piece of writing from an incredibly talented author and now I'm impatiently waiting to see what she can offer us next!

[Jodi Picoult's last book, Sing You Home, also made it into my top picks of 2011 which you can check out here]

Behind the scenes footage of the audio recording of Lone Wolf.