Reviews

The book is about an eighty-year-old Grump who has, much to the alarm of his son, taken a sudden keen interest in his own imminent demise. The story puts the reader directly into the mind of the Grump where we are privy to his every thought and reminisces. At times this was a little confusing as what I thought was an internal thought was actually something the Grump had spoken out loud, but the narrative did have a charming quality to it.

The Grump may, on the surface, seem like a cantankerous old man to those who meet him but looking at things from his perspective reveals that he's really just lonely and often feels lost in this ever changing world. He is darkly funny in his musings and his thoughts without realising the fact. In this way the book comes across as a comedy even though it touches upon a number of important issues.

Even though we only see the other characters through the Grump's eyes and he frequently doesn't even mention them by name (instead using terms like the oldest grandchild and the civilised youth), they are portrayed in such a way that it's easy to understand what they're like.

Being a translated work, the narrative did feel a bit awkward at first and I found the frequent use of the word "sure" a little odd. But as I kept reading, I warmed up to the writing style and I even enjoyed the ever constant "sure" which started to feel like a quirk particular to the Grump's speech. I also started to wonder if it had something to with the way the Finnish language is spoken.

Overall, it was an interesting, thought-provoking and fast paced read and I would definitely read anything else the author has written.

luukasla's review against another edition

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4.0

Erinomainen, liikuttava ja ajatuksia herättävä kirja. Mielensäpahoittaja on mainio hahmo, joka kuvaa hyvin suomalaista perinteistä mielenmaisemaa parin vuosikymmenen takaa.

clairemar's review

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4.0

I won this book from Readersfirst so here's my review:

The story of this book follows an 80 years old Grump in his quest to prepare for his own death by making his own cofin and writing his will. With the help of his own son he runs his errands while ranting about various matters and we witness some parts of his life and history.
Although the concept may sound a bit dark, I found the main character and the writing so amusing and charming! I wouldn't really call it a black comedy, as it was advertised.The Grump's unique perspective had me laughing so many times.
Another thing I enjoyed was the occasional glimpse of life in Finland through the eyes of an older, more tradiional person. Tuomas Kyro is a Finnish writer and the story is set there, so I felt I got to know a little bit of another culture, which is always something I particularly enjoy in books.
This book definitely made me think of my own grandpa, who wasn't grumpy a day in his life, but that's another story!
Great and easy read!So glad I won this!

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