"A Man Called Ove" by Swedish author, Fredrik Backman is a delightful read. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Ove is the grumpy neighbor you try to avoid. He see things in black and white, right and wrong and is inflexible to say the least. His world is turned upside down when a lively family moves in next door to him and things begin to change.
Ove's wife, Sonja, seemed to be the one person that understood Ove over the 40 years they were together. Since her death, Ove in a sense has also died and given up on any chance of happiness. He plans to take his life, but circumstances keep intervening to keep him from carrying out his plan. You get to meet a number of the neighbors including Jimmy who grew up next door, Rune suffering from Alzheimer's disease along with Rune's wife Anita and Parvaneh, an Iranian woman to name a few.
Along the way you get glimpses into Ove's past to see why he is the way he is. As he allows himself to respond to the care of his neighbors, Ove begins to change. This is a heart warming story. I laughed and cried while reading it. It is a testament to power of reaching out to people in our lives who may be difficult. No one is beyond hope and no one is beyond redemption. It is a good reminder for all of us.
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