“And time is a curious thing. Most of us only live for the time that lies right ahead of us. A few days, weeks, years. One of the most painful moments in a person's life probably comes with the insight that an age has been reached when there is more to look back on than ahead. And when time no longer lies ahead of one, other things have to be lived for. Memories, perhaps.”

‘A Man Called Ove’ is about a grumpy old man – so grumpy it’s funny – who at the beginning of the novel keeps trying and failing to kill himself. A young family move in next door and won’t stop bothering him, but this leads to an unlikely and unexpected friendship between them and it actually ends up turning Ove’s life around. There is a cat and a few other strange characters that you will end up falling head over heels for.

If you loved ‘The Cactus’, ‘Eleanor Oliphant’ or ‘The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry’ then you will eat this up, and will probably want Ove to be  your granddad. This was the debut novel from Frederik Backman, who has since penned ‘Britt Marie Was Here’ and ‘Bear Town’, in his quintessentially quirky tone.

#FLODown: This book will probably make you cry happy tears but it is so worth it. If you’re stuck in a reading rut then this is the perfect story to get you back involved with words.

Words by Mollie Kate Cohen