Kona Stories Book Store hosts a fiction book club discussing “A Man called Ove” by Fredrik Backman on Tuesday.
Kona Stories Book Store hosts a fiction book club discussing “A Man called Ove” by Fredrik Backman on Tuesday.
In this “charming debut” from one of Sweden’s most successful authors, a grumpy yet loveable man finds his solitary world turned on its head when a boisterous young family moves in next door.
Meet Ove. He’s a curmudgeon — the kind of man who points at people he dislikes as if they were burglars caught outside his bedroom window. He has staunch principles, strict routines, and a short fuse. People call him “the bitter neighbor from hell.” But must Ove be bitter just because he doesn’t walk around with a smile plastered to his face all the time?
Behind the cranky exterior there is a story and sadness. So when one November morning a chatty young couple with two chatty young daughters move in next door and accidentally flatten Ove’s mailbox, it is the lead-in to a comical and heartwarming tale of unkempt cats, unexpected friendship, and the ancient art of backing up a U-Haul. All of which will change one cranky old man and a local residents’ association to their very foundations.
A feel-good story in the spirit of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry and Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand, Fredrik Backman’s novel about the angry old man next door is a thoughtful exploration of the profound impact one life has on countless others.
The group meets at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the store. Book groups are free if books are purchased at Kona Stories, or a $5 donation is requested.
Info: Brenda or Joy, 324-0350, www.konastories.com