A man called Ove decides to die. Ove's never really liked other people, the only person who's constant company he enjoyed is his beloved wife Sonia. When Sonia passes away and Ove is subsequently forced into early retirement, he decides that joining Sonia is the only logical thing to do. However, life has other plans and soon enough Ove is distracted from his suicide plans by nosy neighbors, teenagers, a certain cat and a series of frustrating yet hilarious events. What a lovely book! I must be honest and admit that I absolutely hated it at the start. Ove's bitterness about EVERYTHING just got on my nerves, especially when we realize it's not age that's made him bitter but his genetic make-up. I didn't like his wife, for she seemed a self obsessed creature, I didn't like Pavana for her appalling meddling ways, I didn't even like the cat. I was just annoyed at the whole lot of them.
But then, the clown incident happened at the hospital and it made me giggle. And as the relationship between the characters deepened and evolved into something substantial, I started enjoying their interactions and felt for them. It's quite a feat for a book to change a reader's feelings so utterly. I usually judge a book in the first couple of chapters and if I dislike it then it's close to impossible to change my mind. Not only did I start liking though mid way, I LOVED it. The characters were so colorful and distinct, the dialogue funny and endearing and Ove grew on me unexpectedly.
By the end of this book, I was tearing up at each chapter, happy tears mostly. It was a beautiful, if sad ending, that was a perfect end to this light hearted, emotionally engaging novel.
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