Book Review: A Man Called Ove by Frederick Bachman

There's a particular kind of warm fuzzy feeling that stays with you after reading A Man Called Ove. Still, familiar, somehow full of life. That feeling after a good cup of coffee, and you don't want it to be over.

The author does not give us a hero: he gives us Ove — the man who scolds people for parking wrong, makes sure that neighborhood gates are locked, and loves rules almost as much as he loved his late wife. Beneath that gruff exterior is someone trying, clumsily, to keep the world in order while quietly falling apart inside.

Max: He sounds a little like me when all of you don't obey me.🐾

Ove’s story unfolds like a slow morning — you think nothing is happening, and then suddenly everything changes. New neighbors move in. A cat decides to stay. The silence he’s wrapped himself in begins to crack, one small kindness at a time. The author lets Ove breathe, breathe, stumble, resist, soften — all at his own pace. And isn’t that how most of us heal?

Max: If I were that cat, I'd have had him trained with hours, just I like I have you trained.🐾

The author's writing feels like home. The kind that makes you pause mid-page, stare into your coffee or up to the ceiling, and whisper, yes, that’s exactly how it feels.

This book whispers. About love that lingers. About the kind of loss that shapes you quietly. About neighbors who annoy you into living again. It’s a reminder that showing up — even grumpily — is sometimes the purest form of love.

One quote from the book: “You only need one ray of light to chase all the shadows away.”

Max: And you only need one treat to change my mood for the better. 🐾

If you’ve ever felt unseen, too tired to start again, or quietly broken in a world that moves too fast — Ove will feel like company. He’s a mirror for all the small, stubborn ways we keep going.

There’s grief here, yes. But also warmth, laughter, and the quiet magic of people who show up when we least expect it. It’s the kind of book that sits with you — in silence, in coffee breaks, in the in-between moments where real life happens.

So make yourself a cup of coffee (black, if you want to be true to Ove and to me), curl up somewhere cozy, and let his story remind you that even the most ordinary days can hold something extraordinary.

Max: If someone offers you a second cup — say yes. And maybe ask for a treat.🐾

Final words: Max and I approve. This book is a must read.

You can get this book at your local bookstore, or on your Kindle from www.amazon.com