A Swedish widower who wants to die so he can be reunited with his wife, is foiled in his plans by his neighbors and a young man who parks a bicycle in an unauthorized zone in Ove’s housing development. Interspersed in the book are vignettes of Ove’s life as a young man, as a newlywed, with his pregnant wife, with his paraplegic wife, and as a widower. 
He really just wants people to follow the rules - and - drive a Saab. His various attempts at suicide are thwarted by a variety of interactions that have you cheering for Ove and laughing at his curmudgeonly responses.