Book · 2012
A Man Called Ove
by Fredrik Backman
A suicidal widower's rigid daily routine gets derailed by new neighbors who can't back a trailer into a parking space.
What does Reddit think of A Man Called Ove?
649 mentions, and 644 sit in r/suggestmeabook, same neighborhood as A Gentleman in Moscow and about as uncontested. The pitch, repeated almost verbatim across the sample, is 'grumpy old grandpa paired with a bubbly, social grandma' (↑128), and the emotional claim that follows it is specific: 'I'm not a crier but man did this one get to me.' Another commenter calls it flatly 'such a feel good book' (↑111). It travels in a pack, showing up on the same list as A Gentleman in Moscow, Circe, The Martian, and The Ocean at the End of the Lane often enough that the four read like a starter kit for comfort fiction rather than four separate arguments (↑146). Nobody in the sample pushes back on it. 2022 was the peak year at 138 mentions, the high point of a run that's cooled to 58 by 2025. r/printSF (3) and r/Fantasy (2) don't have an opinion on it worth counting.
Community feedback & reader fit
Themes
- · grumpy old man redemption arc
- · suicide and loss processed through routine
- · unlikely neighborly friendship
- · found family next door
- · comfort-read consensus pick
Common praise
- + One reader admits 'I'm not a crier but man did this one get to me' (↑128).
- + It gets called flatly 'such a feel good book,' no qualifiers needed (↑111).
- + It's part of the suggestmeabook starter kit alongside A Gentleman in Moscow and Circe, recommended as a package (↑146).
Common criticism
- − It's almost entirely a r/suggestmeabook phenomenon, invisible to r/printSF (3 mentions) and r/Fantasy (2).
- − Mentions have slid from a 138-mention peak in 2022 to 58 in 2025, so the moment has cooled.
- − Nobody in the sample argues with it, which means there's no real debate to point a skeptical reader toward.
Who it's for
Buy this for the grumpiest person in your family; the comparison in the data is specifically grandpa-and-grandma energy, not generic sadness (↑128). If A Gentleman in Moscow or Circe already worked for you, this is the next stop on the same shelf (↑146). Don't expect a challenge; expect a book that gets called 'feel good' without anyone in the sample arguing otherwise (↑111).
Mentions over time
Top subreddits
Which Reddit comments matter for A Man Called Ove?
Top-upvoted quotes across the subreddits where this book is mentioned. Click through to read the full thread.
“Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery for a cozy happy back-in-time where people dream and pull together and love each other. Winter’s Tale by Mark Helprin. It’s a fantasy mostly set in NYC, but it does cozy and magic in a way that moves your soul. Still Life by Louise Penny. This is the first …
“Ove is older (late 50s I believe), but I think this book otherwise fits your needs. {{A Man Called Ove}}
“**A Gentleman in Moscow** by *Amor Towles* **Circe** by *Madeline Miller* **A Man Called Ove** by *Fredrik Backman* **The Martian** by *Andy Weir* **The Ocean at the End of the Lane** by *Neil Gaimen*
“I’m in high school and just recently started to get into reading but here’s a few (edited to add the last three and finish my list) in no particular order: 1. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath 2. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes 3. A List of Cages by Robin Roe 4. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salin…
“A man called Ove by Fredrik Backman. If you have a grumpy old grandpa who is paired with a bubbly and social grandma, this book will hit you right in the feels. I'm not a crier but man did this one get to me.
“In an effort to be more helpful than u/nosleepforthedreamer, I see threads like this and they always make me curious. I compiled a list of frequent responses in my iPhone notes called “Books For A Good Cry”. Disclaimer: I have not read any, and I excluded from it those I have read (like Where The Re…
“The first book that came to mind when I read your post was "A Man Called Ove" by Fredrik Backman. Such a feel good book!
“A Man Called Ove by Frederick Backman
Convinced? Pick up A Man Called Ove
What else does r/suggestmeabook read?
Other books mentioned in the same sub, ranked. Shared-sub overlap with this title breaks ties.
Project Hail Mary
Andy Weir
A high-school teacher wakes up alone on a spaceship with no memory of how he got there and one job left: save Earth.
Circe
Madeline Miller
An exiled witch on a deserted island turns men into pigs and spends three thousand years deciding what she actually wants.
All Systems Red (The Murderbot Diaries)
Martha Wells
A security robot hacks its own governor module, gains free will, and spends its days streaming soap operas instead of killing anyone.
East of Eden
John Steinbeck
Two families retrace Cain and Abel across three generations in California's Salinas Valley, and one brother begs God to make him good.
Piranesi
Susanna Clarke
A man alone in an endless house of statues and tides slowly realizes he isn't who the House says he is.
The Martian
Andy Weir
A botanist gets left for dead on Mars and has to grow food on a planet that wants him gone, one duct-taped fix at a time.
A Man Called Ove — frequently asked
Is A Man Called Ove as sad as people say?+
Yes, and funnier than expected. One reader who calls themselves 'not a crier' says the book still 'got to me' (↑128), a reaction that recurs across the 644 r/suggestmeabook mentions out of 649 total.
What does r/suggestmeabook usually pair A Man Called Ove with?+
It shows up on the same wishlist as A Gentleman in Moscow, Circe, and The Martian often enough to look like a starter set (↑146), suggesting Reddit treats these as interchangeable comfort picks rather than distinct recommendations.
Is A Man Called Ove still popular on Reddit?+
Less than it was, but not forgotten. Mentions peaked at 138 in 2022 and have fallen to 58 by 2025, a real cooling-off rather than a collapse. It's never dropped out of r/suggestmeabook's rotation entirely, and the overall total, 644 of 649 mentions, still dwarfs anything r/printSF (3) or r/Fantasy (2) has to say about it.
Is A Man Called Ove a book for people who don't normally cry at books?+
That's exactly its pitch on Reddit. The top comment specifically frames the reader as someone who isn't usually a crier before admitting the book 'got to me' anyway (↑128), and a second calls it simply 'such a feel good book' (↑111).