Found this book through a local book club and thought that
it looked interesting. It’s a real feel good story about an old man being
ornery in his neighborhood in Sweden. As the book progresses we learn more
about both his backstory and how a new family that just moved in fills his life
again.
Ove is one of those characters where you kind of hate him at
first, then are rather amused by him, then slowly learn to love him. He’s old
and angry, but he accepts the immigrant woman across the street just fine. And
he takes care of a boy thrown out of his father’s house for being gay (although
he does insist on calling him “bent” instead of anything politically correct).
There isn’t a whole ton to this story, but the most
interesting part I thought was the inclusion of color. We are repeatedly
reminded that Ove’s wife Sonja was all of the color that he had. Yet when Ove
meets the two little girls across the street, the three year old consistently
draws him in vibrant colors, surrounded by black and white. I would say that
colors here represent new beginnings, which is what Sonja gave to everyone she
met, and what the family across the street is for Ove. Because his personality
certainly hasn’t changed between then and now.
It's a quick read, and one that makes you smile. Would
definitely recommend!
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