A Book Called Heartwarming

I have to tell you about Fredrik Backman's book, A Man Called Ove.  It's a wonderful book that surprisingly moved me to tears (and your neighborhood perch librarian rarely cries when she reads a book).  In the midst of so much Scandinavian noir, it's nice to have a Swedish literary export that's an ordinary story about an ordinary person.

At face value, Ove is a grumpy old man who gripes about everything.  The price of flowers, drivers who can't back a trailer, and proper home maintenance, for instance.  The author, however, takes us deeper into this character, peeling away layer after layer of Ove's past to show us the different events in his life that turned him into a grumpy old man.

A Man Called Ove is extraordinary in its ordinariness.  It can be the story of anyone you know.  Someone who's experienced heartbreak and joy, loneliness and companionship, loss and gain.  Ove is a regular man with values that belong to a another era when rules were rules and when people prided themselves on honesty, decency, and a job done well.  In the beginning, he isn't the most likeable character, but as you get to know him you see there's much more to this grumpy old man than what meets the eye.

Backman's book shows that we all need love and understanding.  We need compassion for each other whether we're old, young, disabled, gay, or from another culture.  At the root of all things, everyone is human and the world is a better place when we help and are there for each other.  Even the simplest thing, whether it's reading a story to a child or bringing someone dinner, makes a big difference and goes a long way.

I'm not going to tell you how the book ends, but I will say I cried like a baby while reading the last few pages.  Maybe you will, too?  And if you watch the movie version of A Man Called Ove, you won't be disappointed.  It does justice to the book and features one of Sweden's leading actors in the title role.  If you're looking for a heartwarming story, come to the library and check out A Man Called Ove.  We have both the book and the DVD.

Ever sincerely yours from the perch.