'A Man Called Ove' by Fredrik Backman

A Man Called Ove, Fredrik Backman (4.0)

For anyone familiar with the Nordic sensibilities and grumpy old men in general, this book will have you laughing and crying. We start with the daily life of Ove, an older Swedish gentleman whose wife has recently died and he is struggling with the loss. The book pops back and forth between describing Ove’s present day struggles and replaying incidents from his past that help to understand his actions. As he mourns his past losses, new people enter his life with the apparent intent on messing up all his plans and worming their way into his life. With good Swedish minimalism, he desperately tries to keep his life simple and sparse. But animals, children and nosey neighbors continually thwart his attempts. This is not a complicated story, but Mr. Backman has infused it with a few interesting surprises, well-written characters and a lot of heart. I believe anyone reading it will laugh out loud and tear up – several times.