Review
I don’t normally give much of an attention to translators in my reviews but can I just say how much I appreciate—at least in this book—the translation of Henning Koch. Translating is not just transforming something word per word. It’s about sending across a message from one language to another without losing bits and pieces of the emotions that are in the original language. That’s not easy task considering there are words or phrases that cannot be directly translated yet Koch, I believe, did a marvelous job.
“He was a man of black and white. And she was colour. All the colour he had.”
As per the book…
A Man Called Ove. Wow, this book! I never expected to love this as much as I did, in all honesty, but here we are!
Ove is such a loveable character with his grumpy old self and big warm heart. I can’t seem to not remember Grumpy from Snow White and the Seven Dwarves with him.
In the beginning of the story it is quite obvious and you can get a sort of annoyance for him. After a while, though, he rubs himself onto you (not in a creepy way, oh no! 😜) but more about you getting used to his personality and finding a wee bit of charm in it.
“We’re not the sort of people who tell tales about what others do.”
The writing was mesmerizing. It has great control with its words and that’s where I appreciate the translation very much. I couldn’t say for sure how much accuracy there is with both the emotional and technical aspect of the story and the writing, but I can feel how these words flow and contain the sentiments of its original writing.
If you like character driven stories, this book is a perfect fit. It reminded me of how much my taste for stories have changed and my stronger appreciation for literary fiction. It was warm, funny, and sad. A book for a cozy Sunday paired with a good warm chocolate.
“The great thing about scrutinizing bureaucracy when you’re a journalist, you see, are that the first people who break the laws of bureaucracy are always the bureaucrats themselves.“
