This is what I wrote on Goodreads right after finishing the book:

This book came as a blessing in a time of difficulty because of the epidemic, but also in the dark and cold winter. The tale is told with a simple style, but with a gentle blend of humor and pathos. There is some of Ove in all of us and in people we know, so the themes resonated strongly, prompting reflection, and so the book will be with me years to come.
I listened to it as an audiobook and the production was first-rate. I was also reading All the Light We Cannot See at the same time and I didn’t want either to end. I would have been happy reading these two books all winter.

A few months later I have chosen to extend the review on this website.

This book has universal messages and each reader will take away his/her own sense of personal relevance, but everyone will see the themes of the need for human connections, for predictable, orderly routines, and how small events can reshape our lives.   Ove is alone and wants the pain to end, but he finds redemption and meaning with many small steps from incidental connections to the unlikely people he meets in his small neighborhood.

“He’d discovered that he liked houses. Maybe mostly because they were understandable… Houses were fair, they gave you what you deserved. Which, unfortunately, was more than one could say about people.”

Backman’s simple storytelling makes the tale feel like a parable, but he injects humor, pathos, and a skillful balancing of events and characterization.    I was thrilled with every chapter and the end of the novel was perfect. 4.9 out of 5.0 stars4.9