“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.”

Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I borrowed a copy of this on ebook from the library.

Thoughts: This was a well done book that follows a man named Ove as he deals with life as an elderly man in a neighborhood that is constantly changing. We read about Ove’s present and past and learn more about him. We learn how much he has to offer the residents of the neighborhood around him when he is forced to open up.

Ove is cranky and difficult but when he is bullied into helping out a neighbor and her daughter he finds himself more and more drawn in to the events of the neighbors around him. He is even forced to take care of a cranky old cat! As the story unravels, we slowly learn about Ove’s past and some of the things that happened to shape him into the person he is now.

This story is written in a very clever way. Initially you think you know the kind of person Ove is and what kind of story this is going to be. However, you slowly find out things about Ove, his current day to day goals, his past trials, and you realize that you don’t know anything about this very capable old man.

There is a lot of humor in here, a lot of heart, and some unexpected consequences of all the actions that take place. The way the neighbor wife pesters and bullies Ove into helping people was both a bit annoying, hilarious, and something that was very much needed in Ove’s life. I always struggle with how much to push the “grumpy old person” type personally. I mean, how many times should you try to get someone to engage with you and your family, especially when you are turned down so many times that you start to give up on including them? When is this push needed and when is it just annoying to the person you are pushing?

This is a sweet and heartwarming story about an old (Ove is actually not that old) man who has decided he is set in his ways and done with the people around him; that is until he finds out that he still has a lot more to give to the people around him. Definitely worth the read and very emotional; you will be laughing and crying at parts of this.

My Summary (5/5): Overall I am happy to have read this and plan on reading more books by Backman in the future. This was a sweet, funny, and heart-breaking story about a grumpy old man who gets force-ably drug back into helping out his neighbors and re-joining the community as a whole. We get to understand this old man, his challenging history, and realize that maybe everyone should be given a chance to be more than they first seem. I would recommend to those looking for an emotional contemporary fiction read that is both humorous and heart-warming.