Meet Ove. The most judgmental old jerk you will ever love. 

Ove’s story takes place in Sweden. It’s not a thriller. Not a murder-mystery.  Doesn’t have any special plot twist or suspenseful surprise ending. It’s just a simple story and that is how Ove would want it. Ove is a curmudgeon who thinks his best days are over. He doesn’t like drama, feelings, other people and definitely not new technology. Some of the funniest lines involve Ove shopping for “ [o]pad computers”  and not wanting to pay full price since it doesn’t even have a keyboard. Ove doesn’t like others in his life (he only trusts people who drives Saabs.) Little does he know how much others actually need him. A series of events lead to Ove encountering eccentric characters including his new neighbors complete with a pregnant wife and small loud children, three teenage boys trying to figure out their sexuality and a kitty who just can’t stay out of trouble but has taken a liking to Ove. Ove learns that he may be more useful than he gives himself credit for and that life unfolds in unique ways to teach us many lessons. 

I really got involved with these characters and found myself actually laughing with them and feeling their pain.  I missed Ove and the gang when the book ended and to me that is the sign of a good book. I give a definitive thumbs up from me and paws up from Roo.  “A Man Called Ove” has also been made into a movie