Amazing as usual. Review coming. I need to blow my nose and wipe away the tears first.

Oh boy oh boy oh boy. Bachman did it again to me. I absolutely adored [b:Beartown|33413128|Beartown (Beartown, #1)|Fredrik Backman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1482108618l/33413128.SY75.jpg|54171514] and its sequel, [b:Us Against You|36373463|Us Against You (Beartown, #2)|Fredrik Backman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1516019348l/36373463.SY75.jpg|56772779], although they did wreck me emotionally. And yup, he does it again with Ove.

Ove is an old grump of a man who tries to minimize the interactions he has with his neighbors or being sure to yell at them or grump at them if he has to interact at all. Stiff, unbending and unyielding, he knows there is a right way (his way, of course) and a wrong way (every other way, of course) and he cannot stand when things are done the wrong way. When his new neighbors run over his mailbox, he is forced to park the trailer himself.

And then a cat adopts him (he would never admit it the other way around), and an old frenemy is threatened with being put in a home, and someone needs help to learn how to drive (gasp!) and someone needs their radiator fixed... You get it, he helps out, as grumpily as he possibly can.

So the character Ove is only just barely relatable. I almost gave up early on, because he seemed like such a caricature and a bore. But my undying love for the writer of Beartown made me press on and I am glad I did. Ove is surrounded by multi dimensional characters, who give him dimension as well.

And holy cow, was I crying often while reading! His neighbors saw thru him and adored him for his crustiness and their love melted my heart. I could barely read the final chapter thru the tears. How Bachman makes things so sad and endearing without sinking into trite maudlin words is beyond me. It took me hours to recover after finishing this book. I am choking up just writing this and thinking about it again.

I'm giving it 4.5 stars because Ove is such a tough love but rounding it up to 5 because, really, you should read this. You won't regret and maybe your heart too will grow 3 times bigger by the end.