A native of Sweden, Fredrik Backman’s work, published in 25 languages, has made him a #1 NYT best-selling author. You don’t need to be an ice hockey fan to enjoy his writing, but it might help. I’ve read three of his books, and they are all set in Sweden, but again, you don’t need to know very much about Sweden to enjoy his work. I find the development of characters to be the most powerful aspect of Backman’s writing.
Every chapter is named “A Man Called Ove,” followed by a descriptive phrase, yet I believe the entire work is about misdirection. The best thing you can say about Ove is that he is a curmudgeon with a long list of dislikes about his life and the world where he lives. The book is about the women in Ove’s world who guide and encourage this disagreeable “bitter neighbor from hell.” Backman has created a heartwarming story about remarkable women who learn how to deal with an angry old man. In every chapter, we are misdirected into thinking we are reading a story about Ove, who has learned not to trust people in white shirts. A great read.
The Beartown Trilogy: Beartown, a book club selection, and Us Against You is the second in the series. I have yet to read the 3rd book. The setting is Beartown, a hockey empire that lives to defeat a rival community in both hockey and life.
