by
The local library's day time book group's selection for December is A Man Called Ove by Fredrick Backman. It is a novel that was written in Sweden but has been translated into English. I listened to the book in audio format and the narrater pronounced Ove's name Ewe-Vah. It is the story of a man who is 59 years old and is going through the grieving process after his wife died and then he was told at his job he must retire early. Throughout the first part of the book he keeps trying to kill himself and failing, but by the middle of the book he begins to engage with others, and by the end of the book he has adjusted. It is the description of a journey through grief and finding a new life without a loved one. And despite all this sadness the book it is still a comedy. Somehow the fact that Ove is such a grumpy old man and that his neighborhood is filled with such odd ball characters, comes together to make a very sad story that is also a very funny story. It is really the book for any one who has to deal with a grumpy man in their life as it travels back into Ove's childhood and through his adulthood to show why he has become so bitter and grumpy. Most of the time I was listening to the book I could not decide if I liked it or not. My mind did not want to accept that this sad situation had humor in it. But of course all situations contain humor and by the end the author had won me over. Do not read or listen to this book without a hankie near by. Please click on the author's name and book title above to follow the links to more information. The video that follows is the trailer for the movie that was made in Sweden. This English version of the trailer has the English words at the bottom of the screen. A Man Called Ove is a book that is highly acclaimed and I encourage everyone to read it. Especially if you have to deal with any grumpy old men.
No comments:
Post a Comment