Skip to main content

A man called Ove

And a fiction book sneaks into my book review section...

Recommended by a friend, this book is a bittersweet read set in Sweden. And written in an endearing manner. Especially the earlier chapters - that move along at a languid pace without hurrying you up - and the clock that goes back and forth. Takes a few chapters to get used to...but by then you are rooting for the protagonist with whatever he is upto.

The story is beautiful - Ove in some parts is like the older generation. That generation for whom, the work alone is what mattered...he has a routine that he follows every single day come rain or sun...he will fight over rules with people...like a stubborn pig...he likes to do things, not talk...

The 4 main characters are well formed. I liked the writing style - the dry, wry humour - it is a style that I wish I could write.

The simplicity of the protagonist Ove  appealed to me - usually the protagonist is the one who does everything - in this case, it is he who is the subdued person, who belives in a certain simplicity to life - and the writing brings to life that life of simplicity - which perhaps we all have seen upto a generation ago...

The emotion - the layers of it - are subtle - without being in your face...and the author evokes it brilliantly - to combine humour and sadness is an art in itself...

I did not like much of the supporting cast - they seemed force fitted and even stereotypical.

And yes, it is an atypical story...

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Be Civil. Make nice!

Popular posts from this blog

The power of jotting down ideas

 Long long ago, I always used to carry a small letterpad with me. To jot down ideas that might occur. Over the years, it has changed from a notepad to evernote to google keep, but the power of jotting down ideas is immense.  Small ideas go into keep.  Anything to be quickly typed goes into whatsapp as a self message.  Bigger or better formed ideas go into Google docs A few are still written, but I manage to copy them into a digital format sooner rather than later.  But the power of jotting down is immense. My google keep is an encyclopedia of ideas - most of which may never get implemented. 
Post a Comment
Read more

And the unconference happened

 Most conferences have an agenda. No, not the stated agenda, but an agenda of marketing, airtime to sponsors, ensuring the past and future customers are invited, of ensuring that the "stars" of the industry are invited and attention showered of them. All in all it is a your scratch my back, I scratch your back syndrome. Some of these become cliques and claques and therefore the real point behind a conference is lost. And then there is the unconference - organised and run by the alumni of the ISABS ODCP program. And as the name suggests, this is truly an un-conference organised by the alumni, for the alumni. No funders - except the alumni themselves. No sponsors. Just the team.  I havent seen a more tastefully organised conference (yes, its an unconference).  To begin with - the location - not a typical star hotel, but an outdoorsy place. The food - simple. The welcome - personal. It was like a homecoming. The setting was warm and welcoming. It was a smaller conference. Ju...
Post a Comment
Read more

No conferences

Decided not to attend any conferences this year. Atleast not the typical ones I have often ranted about here. Will be both choosy and intentional about which ones to attend.  The ones to attend are the ones put up by practitioners of a craft. The rest is marketing one way or other. 
Post a Comment
Read more