All the ladies who attended the library book club loved this. I appreciated this tragicomic novel of a depressed widower set in Sweden. Ove just lost his wife, was forced to retire, and wants to end it all, but people and animals keep getting in the way. Pieces of his past are revealed every other chapter in tidy snippets of action; these are rounded out with overly sentimental statements. I appreciate this "aw" factor, (knowing my book club ladies would love it) and the quick pace. My favorite part was the cat. I love how the cat's actions were humorously described. 
 I am in the camp of people who think Ove is too unlikable and spiteful to enjoy his story (Flashbacks reveal he was spiteful all of his adulthood, not just after his wife died). I get that his "grumpy old man" viewpoint is supposed to add the comedy, but to me it was aggravating to read about, for instance, his dealings with the Resident's Association when Ove fought for or against certain rules just to spite someone who wanted a certain rule. 
 Yes he had a good side-- he fixed things for people all the time. But I think the narrow, old-fashioned viewpoint was done way better and with more dimension in Major Pettigrew's Last Stand. 
 And this bugged me:(view spoiler)[A big point is made that Ove knows how to build/fix/construct things, yet he doesn't realize that his rope for hanging himself is so weak it will snap; and also he thinks the height of a stool is a big enough drop for a man of his size and weight? Okaaay, if you want to strangle yourself instead of going for the quick, clean neck snap. (hide spoiler)]