Description: Ove is a curmudgeon. He’s the kind of old man who you don’t want to be on the wrong side of. And yet, he’s totally lovable. This is a man who has a routine, likes the simply things in life, and wants people to simply follow the rules. Ove works every last nerve of his neighbours, and they work his. This is a hilarious story about how we never really know what’s going on in someone else’s life, and how kindness and compassion can go a long way. So too can learning to backup a car and trailer correctly. What starts off as a neighbourly misstep, and subsequent misadventures, leads to a nice heart-warming ending.
Perfect Read: Driving Miss Daisy meets The Rosie Project.
- Funny, quirky, screwball comedy with charm
- Quirky, grumpy, newly retired (forced retirement) man who’s social awkward
- Unexpected relationships that form out of necessity
- A determined cat
Favourite Moment: There are many, many funny moments in this book but one that I like the best is when Ove locks a journalist into his garage. She has been calling and pestering him for an interview and won’t take no for an answer. The neighbour Parvaneh has just heard the knock.
‘Christ … have you locked someone in the garage, Ove!?’ Ove didn’t answer. Parvaneh shook him as if trying to dislodge some coconuts.
‘OVE!’
‘Yes, yes. But I didn’t do it on purpose, fo God’s sake,’ he muttered and wriggled out of her grip.
Parvaneh shook her head.
‘Not on purpose?’
‘No, not on purpose,’ said Ove, as if this should wrap up the discussion.
When he noticed that Parvaneh was obviously expecting some sort of clarification, he scrated his head and sighed.
‘Her. Well. She’s one of those journalist people. It wasn’t bloody me who locked her in. I was going to lock myself and the cat in there. But then she followed us. And, you know. Things took their course.’
Parvaneh started massaging her temples.
‘I can’t deal with this …’
‘Naughty,’ said the three-year-old and shook her finger at Ove.
Published by Sceptre Books in print, ebook and audiobook