My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Goodreads Summary:
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.
My Review:
This was a great story overall, but a very slow read for me. It took me 19 days to get through this book and I normally finish books within a week. 😬
The story follows the everyday happenings of a man named Ove. He misses his wife terribly and I like how she is part of the story even though she’s no longer there. The timeline jumps show Ove as a young boy as well as the grumpy old guy that everyone comes to love.
Ove seems to have a bit of OCD, in my opinion. He likes things done a certain way and cannot stand for things to be done what he considers to be the wrong way. This causes a lot of issues throughout the story, but also helps keep things interesting. By the end of the story, you can’t help but like Ove and feel empathetic toward him.
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