If you have ever found yourself laughing through tears whilst reading A Man Called Ove or discovered unexpected hope amid the chaos of Anxious People, then you know precisely what Fredrik Backman does so magnificently well. He writes about ordinary people—the grumpy ones, the lonely ones, the beautifully broken ones—and makes you fall quite desperately in love with them.
And now, dear reader, you have finished every Backman book upon your shelf and find yourself wandering through bookshops like a lost soul, searching for that same warm embrace of story. Fear not! For we have assembled a collection of books that capture that very same magic: tales of quirky characters finding unexpected connections, of small communities harboring enormous hearts, and of second chances that arrive precisely when least expected.
1. The Wendy by Erin Michelle Sky and Steven Brown
Here is a book that understands something Backman readers cherish above all else: that the most extraordinary stories are found within the hearts of characters who refuse to give up on their dreams, no matter how impossible society tells them those dreams might be.
Wendy Darling is an orphan in 1780s England—a girl in an age when women were meant for needlework and matrimony, not adventure and the open sea. And yet this remarkable young woman possesses both an eyebrow of exceptional expressiveness and a spirit that simply will not be told what it cannot do. She dreams of captaining her own ship, and against every odd imaginable, she pursues that dream with the same stubborn determination that Ove brings to his principles or that the residents of Anxious People bring to their complicated lives.
The writing style is utterly delightful—witty and warm in a manner that feels like a storyteller has pulled up a chair beside you. Readers describe it as having “all the markings of a classic” and “a modern classic in its own right.” The narrator’s voice contains a charm reminiscent of J.M. Barrie himself, speaking directly to you, the reader, with a wink and a knowing smile. One reviewer declared it “the best YA fiction I’ve read in years,” while another noted they “bought it for myself and my reading pals” because “you’ll be talking about it.”
This is the first book in the now-complete Tales of the Wendy trilogy, so you needn’t worry about cliff-hangers without resolution—all three books await you.
2. Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
Eleanor Oliphant keeps her life in very precise order, which is a thing Ove would understand completely. She eats the same meals, speaks her mind with alarming honesty, and has no friends whatsoever—which suits her perfectly fine, thank you very much. But when Eleanor and a scruffy colleague rescue an elderly gentleman who has collapsed in the street, the carefully constructed walls around her heart begin, most inconveniently, to crack.
This is a story about loneliness that creeps up on you like a cat you did not know was in the room, and about how small acts of kindness can transform even the most guarded soul.
3. A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
Count Alexander Rostov finds himself sentenced to house arrest in a grand Moscow hotel—for the rest of his life. A lesser man might despair. But the Count is not a lesser man. Over thirty-two years within those walls, he discovers that a life of wit, friendship, and purpose can flourish even within the smallest of circumstances.
For those who loved Backman’s ability to find profound meaning in ordinary moments, Towles offers the same magic wrapped in Russian elegance.
4. Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
Tova Sullivan is seventy years old, widowed, and working night shifts at an aquarium—which is how she comes to befriend Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus with opinions about humanity and a rather remarkable talent for observation. You see, Marcellus knows things. Things about the mystery of Tova’s son, who vanished thirty years ago.
This is a book that proves friendship can arrive in the most unexpected of forms, and that healing has no expiration date.
5. The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
Linus Baker is a caseworker for magical youth—a man of rules and clipboards and properly filed reports. Then he is sent to evaluate an orphanage on a remote island, where the children include a gnome, a sprite, and a small boy who happens to be the Antichrist.
For Backman readers who treasure found families and misfits discovering where they belong, this cozy fantasy offers warmth like a cup of tea on a rainy afternoon.
6. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
Between life and death, Nora Seed discovers a library containing every life she could have lived—each book a different choice, a different path. She can try them all, searching for the perfect existence.
This philosophical yet deeply comforting tale asks the questions Backman’s characters often wrestle with: What makes a life worth living? And is it ever too late to begin again?
7. The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce
Harold Fry is sixty-five, recently retired, and setting off to mail a letter. But somewhere between his front door and the postbox, Harold decides to walk six hundred miles instead—across all of England—to visit a dying friend.
This gentle meditation on regret, marriage, and the unexpected kindness of strangers feels like a long walk with a dear companion.
8. A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers
Dex is a tea monk, traveling between villages to brew custom blends and listen to people’s troubles. When they encounter a robot wandering out of the wilderness—the first robot to approach humans in centuries—an unlikely friendship blooms around one simple question: What do humans actually need?
This cozy novella offers gentle philosophy and warm comfort for weary souls.
9. The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin
A.J. Fikry is a widowed bookshop owner having the worst year of his life. Then someone leaves a baby on his doorstep with a note requesting he raise her, and slowly—reluctantly—his frozen heart begins to thaw.
Readers who loved watching Ove transform through unexpected connections will recognize this beautiful pattern of redemption.
10. Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson
Major Ernest Pettigrew is sixty-eight, proper, British, and perfectly content in his ways. Then he strikes up an unlikely friendship with Mrs. Ali, the Pakistani village shopkeeper, and discovers that love and courage know no age limits.
This is a comedy of manners with a generous heart, perfect for those who treasure Backman’s ability to champion unlikely heroes.
11. The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery
Renée is a concierge in a Parisian apartment building—dowdy, invisible, and secretly brilliant. Paloma is a twelve-year-old genius planning to end her life on her thirteenth birthday. When these two extraordinary minds discover each other, philosophy and friendship intertwine in the most unexpected of ways.
For readers who appreciate Backman’s hidden depths beneath ordinary surfaces, this French treasure awaits.
12. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
In occupied France during World War II, the paths of a blind French girl and a German boy collide in ways neither could have imagined. This is not a cozy read, but it shares Backman’s gift for making you care desperately about characters navigating impossible circumstances with grace.
A masterpiece of compassion amid darkness.
Each of these books understands what Fredrik Backman knows in his bones: that the quietest lives often contain the loudest hearts, that grumpy exteriors frequently hide tender souls, and that we are all, in the end, just anxious people trying to find our way home to each other.
Happy reading, dear friend. May you find exactly the story you need.
