A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

A Man Called Ove is the heartwarming and heartbreaking story of Ove, a man so grumpy that it takes a village to wake him up and remind him who he is. Ove is a man who was set in his ways as a child; he's a man of a certain generation, a man who can learn everything about someone by what car they drive. When Ove has given up, a new family moves into his neighborhood and shows him that there's still love and laughter in the world and more importantly, there's always someone to fight for.

Fredrik Backman reaches out to all of us with this story. I laughed just as often as I cried, and sometimes the tears were brought on by laughter and joy. Parvaneh, Ove's newest (and very pregnant) neighbor, irritates him so much that he feels he needs to help her. Then he helps someone else, and then a cat. Everyone knows and Ove; I jokingly told my husband I was reading his best friend's biography! This book is filled with so many wonderful and colorful characters, not just Ove and Parvaneh. Ove has just as many rough edges as soft spots, and this isn't a story to miss.