Review of
Instaread Summary of A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
Four out of five stars
Ove is an
elderly man that lives in a town in Sweden and his beloved wife of many years
has recently died of cancer. He also has a heart condition that has forced him
to take an early retirement, so he no longer has the distraction of working to
take him away from his overwhelming feelings of sorrow and despair.
Ove is a man of
routine and organization, so when he makes the decision to kill himself, he
first must put all of his affairs in order. For several days, he has worked up
a different plan for causing his death, but other things, generally due to
someone needing help intervened, convincing Ove that he is too busy to kill
himself today.
In a manner
similar to the classic movie “It’s a Wonderful Life,” Ove learns the value he
gives to others when they need assistance and eventually he gives up on suicide
and concentrates on doing what he can for others. Although he wants to project
an image of being a cranky old man, Ove has a heart of gold and demonstrates it
while he lives and even after he dies.
This summary is
a readable synopsis of what is an old plot reworked in another way. An old man
that seemingly has little to live for suddenly discovers that his presence is
very important to many others. The best line in the summary appears in the “Author’s
style” section.
“A’ Man Called Ove’ is a sweet but not cloying novel
that is as charming as it is predictable.”
It was obvious to the reader of the summary that the
novel is predictable, well before the appearance of the previous sentence.
Another
sentence in the “Author’s style” section states something that was obvious much
earlier.
“The story has a certain simplicity that reflects the
sensibility of its protagonist.”
From this
summary, it is clear that this is a story that is not really all that
complicated, having no real surprise plot twists or unexpected conclusions. If
you like stories that have a positive feel-good closure, then it is clear that
the book being described is one that you will want to read.
This book was made available for free for review
purposes.
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