content warnings:

Spoiler

major char death (natural causes), loss of loved ones (parents, spouse, unborn child), cancer, Alzheimer's, grief, suicidal ideation, on-page suicide attempts (interrupted), homophobic parent, homophobic language, ableist language, xenophobia, fatphobia, sexism

rep:

Spoiler

Iranian major char [Parvaneh], gay secondary char [Mirsad], MLM secondary char [Jimmy], M/M minor relationship

★ 3.5 stars ★

The first time I tried to read this, I had to DNF @ 36% because I was not in a stable enough mental state to deal with

Spoiler

Ove's multiple suicide attempts

— reviews only talk about how charming and heartwarming the book is, so I want to note first and foremost.

Even now that I'm doing much better, I'm honestly still uncomfortable with it being treated almost a running joke: that

Spoiler

Ove is so competent and no-nonsense yet keeps failing to kill himself, primarily because he can't refrain from helping out his neighbors, albeit with outward reluctance and much grumbling

. I've also never been a big fan of stereotypical autism traits — stickler for the rules, loves math much more than abstract thinking, socially beyond-awkward but actually kindhearted — portrayed as charmingly quirky, nor do I generally appreciate this character uses sexist/homophobic/ableist language but it's okay because they are from a "different generation" and "hate everyone equally," they aren't actually prejudiced. The backstory chapters only evoked minimal sympathy in explaining why Ove is the way he is, how he's been hurt time and again by bureaucracy and other people and the depth of his own grief; all very sad, of course, but not excuses to justify the aforementioned issues.

AND YET. As I already knew from Backman's other works, there comes a point when the story suddenly reaches the next level. Prior scenes take on new significance. Characters show you how much they've grown. And at the end of it all, you can't help but laugh and cry and wonder at the marvel of humankind.

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CONVERSION: 10.2 / 15 = 3.5 stars

Prose: 7 / 10
Characters & Relationships: 8 / 10
Emotional Impact: 8 / 10
Development / Flow: 7 / 10
Setting: 6 / 10

Diversity & Social Themes: 3 / 5
Originality / Trope Execution: 2 / 5
Memorability: 4 / 5