Synopsis
A grumpy yet loveable man finds his solitary world turned on its head when a boisterous young family moves in next door.
Meet Ove. He's a curmudgeon, the kind of man who points at people he dislikes as if they were burglars caught outside his bedroom window. He has staunch principles, strict routines, and a short fuse. People call him the bitter neighbor from hell, but must Ove be bitter just because he doesn't walk around with a smile plastered to his face all the time?
Behind the cranky exterior there is a story and a sadness. So when one November morning a chatty young couple with two chatty young daughters move in next door and accidentally flatten Ove's mailbox, it is the lead-in to a comical and heartwarming tale of unkempt cats, unexpected friendship, and the ancient art of backing up a U-Haul. All of which will change one cranky old man and a local residents' association to their very foundations.
Meet Ove. He's a curmudgeon, the kind of man who points at people he dislikes as if they were burglars caught outside his bedroom window. He has staunch principles, strict routines, and a short fuse. People call him the bitter neighbor from hell, but must Ove be bitter just because he doesn't walk around with a smile plastered to his face all the time?
Behind the cranky exterior there is a story and a sadness. So when one November morning a chatty young couple with two chatty young daughters move in next door and accidentally flatten Ove's mailbox, it is the lead-in to a comical and heartwarming tale of unkempt cats, unexpected friendship, and the ancient art of backing up a U-Haul. All of which will change one cranky old man and a local residents' association to their very foundations.
So I finished the last quarter of this book while covering a shift in work and didn't I just regret it... I cried my eyes out in public all over the airport and had a few people even asking me if I was ok.
I absolutely adored Ove he's the kind of old man everybody needs in their lives, he actually reminds me of my own grandad, before he was unable to leave the house, he used to get the bus into town every morning and come whistling home every afternoon with the shopping, until the age of 85!, Maybe that is one of the reasons I fell for him so much. At first I thought the fact that the book had been translated into English would be an issue for me, the punctuation was a little off at first but it turned out not to be an issue after a few chapters. I adapted to the style of writing and really enjoyed the reading style in the end.
One of the main reasons I love this book is because of the way that Fredrik Backman used the past and the present in alternate chapters helping give the reader an insight to why certain people hung around in Oves life for example why Jimmy was always there waving to Ove and why Anita turned up at Oves house with any issues she had, it is just such a heart warming and heart breaking story. It really has me looking forward to reading My Grandmother Sends Her Regards by Fredrik Backman.
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