A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

A Man Called Ove

Fredrik Backman

A real feel-good read! Ove is 59, solitary and a bit of a curmudgeon, everything has to be just so and he is very intolerant of life in general. When his beloved wife dies and he loses his job, he decides he has nothing left to live for. However, his new neighbours have other ideas .... Lovely characters and a completely unexpected delight.

Extract
'Pest', he thought, glancing at his watch. Two minutes to six. Time to get going or the bloody cat would have succeeded in delaying the entire inspection. Fine state of affairs that would be. He began marching along the footpath between the houses. He stopped by the traffic sign informing motorists that they were prohibited from entering the residential area. He gave the metal pole a firm kick. Not that it was wonky or anything, but it's always best to check. Ove is the sort of man who checks the status of all things by giving them a good kick. He walked across the parking area and strolled back and forth along all the garages to make sure none of them had been burgled in the night or set on fire by gangs of vandals. Such things had never happened round here, but then Ove had never skipped one of his inspections either.
Parallels
  • The Unlikely Pilgrimge of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce
  • Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson
  • Jumping the Queue by Mary Wesley