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A review by theespressoedition
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
challenging
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
It really bums me out when I have to sit down and write yet another so-so or "negative" review for a book that seems so widely loved, but I can't say anything other than my true thoughts.
This book really hit me the wrong way. I would assume that the point of it was to bring about feelings of "just live your life and let people in because everything will eventually be alright," but that wasn't the overall effect for me. It felt as though the topic of suicide was very nonchalantly tossed about, without too much care.
Ove misses his wife and wants to see her again. He's displeased with quite literally everything in the world. So he makes the decision to end his life. Every single day there are detailed descriptions as to how he plans to do this and even how he follows through on some of the attempts. That's red flag number one for me.
Inadvertently, his new neighbors wind up preventing him from following through on his plans because of random, situational occurrences: needing help with a home project, needing to be driven to a hospital, etc. No one really seems to make mention of what he's doing, despite very obvious visuals of his plans on several occasions (like when his pregnant neighbor finds him actively suffocating himself in his car... and she doesn't actually say anything about it? Just ignores it??? Who does that?) Red flag number two was how it was only hijinks that keep Ove from committing suicide.
You're supposed to feel bad for the man or even relate to him, but instead, I felt irritated and at times, disgusted. He's rude, thoughtless, and selfish through and through. And yes, while the story takes him on a "journey" and he eventually becomes more loving towards those around him, it didn't feel like there was fantastic character development, so much as just a general acceptance of him as a curmudgeon from his neighbors and them as less than a problem from Ove.
Suicide isn't comedy. It doesn't matter how it's sugar-coated. I could not find myself enjoying this book. There were moments of random sweetness, but that's about the extent of it. If anything, it put me in a really negative mind space, the more that I thought upon it. It makes me sad that I had this experience with it.
This book really hit me the wrong way. I would assume that the point of it was to bring about feelings of "just live your life and let people in because everything will eventually be alright," but that wasn't the overall effect for me. It felt as though the topic of suicide was very nonchalantly tossed about, without too much care.
Ove misses his wife and wants to see her again. He's displeased with quite literally everything in the world. So he makes the decision to end his life. Every single day there are detailed descriptions as to how he plans to do this and even how he follows through on some of the attempts. That's red flag number one for me.
Inadvertently, his new neighbors wind up preventing him from following through on his plans because of random, situational occurrences: needing help with a home project, needing to be driven to a hospital, etc. No one really seems to make mention of what he's doing, despite very obvious visuals of his plans on several occasions (like when his pregnant neighbor finds him actively suffocating himself in his car... and she doesn't actually say anything about it? Just ignores it??? Who does that?) Red flag number two was how it was only hijinks that keep Ove from committing suicide.
You're supposed to feel bad for the man or even relate to him, but instead, I felt irritated and at times, disgusted. He's rude, thoughtless, and selfish through and through. And yes, while the story takes him on a "journey" and he eventually becomes more loving towards those around him, it didn't feel like there was fantastic character development, so much as just a general acceptance of him as a curmudgeon from his neighbors and them as less than a problem from Ove.
Suicide isn't comedy. It doesn't matter how it's sugar-coated. I could not find myself enjoying this book. There were moments of random sweetness, but that's about the extent of it. If anything, it put me in a really negative mind space, the more that I thought upon it. It makes me sad that I had this experience with it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Medical content, Car accident, and Pregnancy
Minor: Animal cruelty
Very in-depth suicide descriptions and plans. This book should have MAJOR trigger warnings ahead of it but unsurprisingly, there are none.