Most of us were introduced to Oscar the Grouch, the trash can inhabiting, green monster who seemingly never has a good day on Sesame Street. Even though Oscar was cranky and some times a little mean, he never seemed to pose a threat. He was just mildly unpleasant. I remember thinking Oscar was going through a phase, and it would pass. He would become pleasant when he grew up.

But I grew up and discovered, grouches are a real. They exist in our everyday life — not perhaps living in trash cans. The question I have is what makes a person a grouch. I certainly do not believe you are born a grouch, so what life event turned the grouch into a lifelong curmudgeon? Usually there is a story — sad and dark, and that is the fodder for a great book.

Do you want to read a book about a real grouch? I give you Fredrik Backman’s A Man Called Ove.

Ove, who is set-in-his-ways and short fused, is lonely and miserable. In fact, he has given up on life when he discovers his mailbox has been flattened by new neighbors moving in. The new neighbors are the worst — they are chatty and have two small children. All are things Ove dislikes. But will the new neighbors with their adorable children worm their way into the hearts of Ove?