This book has been around for 10 years and has had so much hype around it. I wasn’t sure if it would stand the test time or live up to the hype, but it did.

Ove is a curmudgeon. He has lived on this street most of his adult life with his wife. But when a family moves into the neighborhood, his grumpy ways are challenged in the best way.

This book will send you on an emotional roller coaster. Laughter and tears are sentences apart. The dialogue is so well done. The plot twists and reveals are excellent. Without any kind of spoilers, which is hard to do with this book, it is both a light and heavy read at times. There are some trigger warnings with attempted suicide and pregnancy loss and grief in general.

My favorite theme from this book is community and how it shapes us and how much we all need it. There are some outstanding scenes where people rally together to help one another, and it effectively ties into the end of the story so well. It is also a translation from Swedish so while the book feels like it could take place anywhere, there are definitely some references to the Swedish culture.

I would recommend this book to anyone who hasn’t read it yet, which I feel like is a small population in the reader community. Anyone who enjoys contemporary fiction with a strong character and plot development following the themes of grief and community should read this book.

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