The Grump is an eighty year old man, who like many people believes things were better in the past. The book is made up of the constant stream of his thoughts, sometimes expressed out loud to those around him without reserve, except where emotions are involved. This makes him often trying company for his son and daughter-in-law, but his actions show him to be very caring both to his family and others, whether an Estonian taxi driver, a neighbour's Thai step child or a confused lady in the care home with his wife.
The translation by Hildi Hawkins is excellent (despite one or two sentences that don't quite make sense) so only the Finnish cultural references remind us that English is not the Grump's first language.
Although billed as a black comedy, presumably due to the time the Grump spends planning for his own death, the book is more gently amusing than this label might suggest. There are also plenty of positive messages to be drawn from the philosophy of this endearing grumbler, who is not as wedded to the past as it might first appear.
The translation by Hildi Hawkins is excellent (despite one or two sentences that don't quite make sense) so only the Finnish cultural references remind us that English is not the Grump's first language.
Although billed as a black comedy, presumably due to the time the Grump spends planning for his own death, the book is more gently amusing than this label might suggest. There are also plenty of positive messages to be drawn from the philosophy of this endearing grumbler, who is not as wedded to the past as it might first appear.