Meet Ove. He’s a curmudgeon, the kind of man who points at people he dislikes as if they were burglars caught outside his bedroom window. He has staunch principles, strict routines, and a short fuse. People call him the bitter neighbor from hell, but must Ove be bitter just because he doesn’t walk around with a smile plastered to his face all the time?

Behind the cranky exterior, there is a story and a sadness. So when one November morning, a chatty young couple with two chatty young daughters moves in next door and accidentally flattens Ove’s mailbox, it is the lead-in to a comical and heartwarming tale of unkempt cats, unexpected friendship, and the ancient art of backing up a U-Haul. All of which will change one cranky old man and a local residents’ association to their very foundations.

This was my first time reading a book by Fredrik Backman, and I was excited to finally see what all the hype was about. Contemporary fiction is not a genre I typically gravitate toward, but I’ve heard so many wonderful things about Backman’s books over the years that I wanted to experience one for myself. I ended up listening to the audiobook of A Man Called Ove, narrated by the famous Hollywood actor J. K. Simmons, and I thought he did an incredible job bringing both the story and the characters to life. His performance added so much personality and emotion to the experience, and I highly recommend consuming this story in audiobook format if you enjoy audiobooks.

As far as content goes, there is no spice, though there is some mild language. There is also a gay side character. For sensitive readers, I would definitely recommend checking trigger warnings beforehand, as the story includes suicide attempts, grief, depression, and the loss of a loved one.

The story follows Ove, a 60-year-old man who has lost both his wife and his will to live. His carefully structured routines and quiet existence are constantly interrupted when a lively new family moves in across the street. Ove is grumpy, stubborn, and very set in his ways. He dislikes people who don’t follow the rules and has no problem yelling at others when they do things “incorrectly.” Honestly, I found him surprisingly relatable at times. He reminded me a lot of my maternal grandfather, who was also a cranky old man who liked things exactly how he liked them. But beneath Ove’s rough exterior is deep sadness, loneliness, and grief, and I knew from the beginning that this would be a story about slowly peeling back his layers.

Over the course of the novel, Ove really grew on me, just as he does with the people around him. I loved watching him help his neighbors in his own gruff, reluctant way. One of my favorite aspects of the story was its exploration of found family, community, and how human connection can give people purpose and a reason to keep going. The themes felt very universal and heartfelt without becoming overly sentimental.

This book was definitely an emotional rollercoaster, so keep tissues nearby. I laughed, cried, smirked, and at times just sat there reflecting on life. It felt like a warm hug to the heart and had such a comforting, feel-good quality despite the heavier subject matter. I can see why so many readers connect with this story.

Unfortunately, I made the mistake of watching the movie adaptation before reading the book because it was about to leave my streaming platform. I watched A Man Called Otto starring Tom Hanks first, and I do think that slightly impacted my reading experience. The adaptation stays fairly close to the source material, with only some subtle differences. Naturally, the book dives much deeper into Ove’s inner thoughts and emotional journey. Since the story alternates between past and present timelines, the novel also gives us far more scenes from Ove’s past, while the movie only touches on many of those moments briefly.

Both the book and the movie are slower paced, though I personally felt the movie dragged a little too long for the story it was telling. I think it could have benefited from trimming about 20 or 30 minutes. Around the middle portion, I caught myself getting a little restless and wanting to grab my phone while watching. As for the book, it took me until about halfway through to become fully invested, even though I already knew the major story beats from the film adaptation.

Overall, I really enjoyed this story. I would rate the movie three stars and the book four stars. If you’ve already read the book, I think the movie works as a nice companion piece, though it doesn’t necessarily add much beyond what’s already on the page. If you’ve only seen the movie, I’m a little more torn on whether you need to read the book unless you want a deeper understanding of Ove’s backstory and emotional world. Either way, I would still recommend both if the premise sounds appealing to you. This definitely made me interested in reading more from Backman’s backlist in the future.