Ove is annoyed about everything! His story remains down to earth and tugs at the heartstrings.A Man Called Ove ( Swedish: En man som heter Ove, pronounced ) is a novel by Swedish writer Fredrik Backman published in Swedish by Forum in 2012. He seems to saunter through life without a care in the world. And the structures of their stories rely heavily on flashbacks to help us understand them - because they are both older main characters, I suppose.

But Ove and Allan are completely different. The story of Ove has been compared to Allan's in The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared. On Ove's watch, no car is allowed to enter the residential area - even if it is an ambulance. Ove doesn't compromise his principles - no matter what happens, he follows the rules. But BMW? How very dare you? And let's not even mention Renault. And so I start to understand him, and even agree with and - dare I say - respect his crankiness! And even as someone who is not remotely interested in cars, I was fascinated to learn that there are differences (but acceptable differences) between a man who drives a Saab and a man who drives a Volvo. But then gradually I become privy to Ove's personal history and his character and his values.

I know grumpy old men like him - mentioning no names. Ove ( aka señor Saab) makes me laugh from the start. When I got home, after my walks, my husband would ask, 'So, what's new with Ove today?' There were times I laughed aloud and a couple times when I was teary-eyed. I listened to this book as I walked in the morning. Pavana would be an interesting character to have dinner with. If you could take any character from A Man Called Ove out to dinner, who would it be and why? She has become one of my favorite narrators. No, but I will now look for other books she narrates. Have you listened to any of Joan Walker’s other performances before? How does this one compare? He is an ethical curmudgeon but we are ever hopeful for some sign of compassion from him. Ove is a composite of people we all have known. And when finished, I missed Ove and knew it would be hard to find a book I enjoyed as much. It was one of those books that I never wanted to finish. Would you listen to A Man Called Ove again? Why?

A man called ove audible