Red Széll

This was suggested to me by my rock climbing partner.

Obviously, we're not doing much climbing over Christmas.

And it's a man called Ove, O-V-E, that is.

by Frederick Bachman.

Oh, I read that last year.

I loved it.

It's a beautiful book.

It is a really life-affirming book.

Anybody who doesn't know the story, Over appears to be the grumpiest old man you will ever meet.

He's obsessed by rules.

He's always ticking people off the small infringements.

He believes that his neighbours are all

He despises people who can't control their dogs and stop them peeing outside his house.

He loathes the fact that people in electronic shops seem to speak in riddles and he has never forgiven his neighbour and former friend Runa for abusing.

organising a coup to get him kicked out from being chair of the Residence Committee.

And frankly, he's isolated himself and he's thinking of ending it all.

And his attempts to end it all are thwarted by his new neighbour, a woman who was brought up in Iran...

I think, if I remember correctly, and her two young daughters, who is married to a fairly useless husband and recognises that Ove is actually rather good with his tools, his hands.

You know, he can put up a shelf and open a window.

And then he just discovers more and more connections within his community.