A Man Called Ove by Fred Blackman: As Unassuming Book Filled with Heart

I'm assuming it's my Type-A personality, but I love lists.  Checking boxes off a list gives me so much joy that it should be concerning.  Grocery lists, lists for what I need to get done over the weekend, and even lists for what to pack on vacation are all part of my routine.  So when Buzzfeed publishes their lists relating to books and movies, I get all kinds of geeked out.  The first list I saw was a list of books to read that were going to be movies, which is actually how this whole blog thing started back in 2013/2014.  The most recent list I found was this which is a list of 31 heartfelt books to read. The list included Me Before You, which I blogged about before and is one of my favs, so I knew it was a good list.  This list is where I found another favorite book which is why I am here today.  A Man Called Ove was not a book that looked particularly heartfelt when I read the back.  It looked like it was about a grumpy old man who hated the world after losing his wife.  It seemed sad and lacking of the exact thing it had, which is heart.  I am so glad I read it anyway because it is definitely one of my favorite books I've read yet.  

Ove thinks life should be simple.  You work hard, pay your bills, follow the street signs, mind your own business, and you should get along just fine.  He's been this way his whole life living in black and white.  Then he met Sonja, and found more color he ever knew possible.  Sonja loved Ove in all his seriousness and grumpiness and Ove lived his entire life doing anything he could for her.  So when she died, that's when Ove stopped living.  He saw no point in going on and just wanted to be with her again, so he developed a plan to kill himself.  He had his folder with all of his bank information, directions for the will, where he should be buried (right next to Sonja), and not to make a fuss of anything.  The problem was, each time he tried to do it, his pesky neighbors got in the way.  Whether it be a ride to the hospital, repairing a bike, or saving an old friend from being taken from his home- Ove could not be left alone.  He even got as far as jumping in front of a train, but ended up saving someone else from the train who accidentally fell at the same time Ove did.  It appeared Ove had a difficult task at hand.  To Ove, it should't be this difficult and his neighbors needed to start minding their own business and leaving Ove to die. 

What I love most about this book is Ove.  He is gruff as can be but has such a good heart.  He is also a romantic even though you'd never know it.  He just loves his wife which is all he's ever done.  Just to give you an example,  here are two of my favorite lines:

As you can see, this grump of a man, is sweet and loving.  This story ends up being so much more than Ove trying to end his own life. The more his neighbors unintentionally get in the way, the more you learn about Ove's back story and theirs, and the more you fall in love with all of them.  It truly is beautiful how they are all intertwined and how in the end, they all become one extended family.  I don't want to give too much away so will leave you with saying that this book will make you laugh, cry, and reflect on what forms love can take. A beautiful story that will pleasantly surprise you.