Benny & Shrimp by Katarina Mazetti.... A Review

Why is it so impossible to get a relationship between two middle-aged misfits to work? The answer lies in the story of Benny & Shrimp...

An offbeat love story so charming you'll never want it to end!

Benny's a Swedish farmer, a country boy in his 30's with 24 milk cows and followers (followers are the babies...) plus a few sheep. He orders his clothes from a catalog...

Shrimp's a widowed Swedish librarian, in her 30's living in a sterile apartment with a white sofa. She eats vegetarian and dresses in beige...

He wants a farmers wife... She wants someone to go to the opera with...

They meet in a cemetery and fall in love... Benny mourning the loss of his mother; Shrimp mourning her husband. Detesting each other at first because they are forced to share what they feel should be a private moment alone on a bench in the cemetery where their loved ones are buried. Every day they make the same trip... Loneliness hangs off them like the morning dew, but a chance smile between them one day starts to melt their mistrust... Benny & Shrimp is an offbeat, fun, romp in the hay love story! I absolutely loved this book! In alternating chapters Benny and Shrimp each take turns telling their story from their own perspective. And it is a hoot at times...

" Going to the grave is my only breathing space, and even then I never feel I can just sit there thinking. I have to rake and plant and weed before I can let myself sit down. And then she's there..."

" It was a clear, cold autumn day and I took my usual walk to the grave on my lunch break. The Forest Owner was sitting there on the bench; he glowered at me, as if I were trespassing in his own private cemetery. His paws were all soily..."

It's an honest, down-to-earth look at love, sprinkled with humor and a pinch of sadness. It's about how two people who are mad about each other have a hard time putting it all together to make it work... It will touch your heart.

The writing is wonderful! Katarina Mazetti's choice of writing in alternating "character" chapters is a perfect way to tell this story and I think adds to its charm. You will start to look forward to reading how Benny and then Shrimp "sees" the situation. I loved the characters because of their quirkiness. The dairy farm where Benny has his life feels like a throw back to a simpler time and sets the stage for the story (and some differing of opinions) wonderfully. Their lifestyles are so different, but they are both intelligent & caring people. Could Shrimp learn to make meatballs? Could Benny not sleep thru the opera? What makes two people fall in love? With genuine affection between Benny & Shrimp you will be hoping thru each turn of the page that they can work things out. Benny & Shrimp is already an international hit! On July 28th it is going to be released in the U.S. by Penguin Books! Don't miss out reading this one! Their story will delight you!

Would you like to learn more about the book? Take a peak HERE! There's also a great reading guide for book clubs and an author interview HERE!

I want to thank Caitlin of FSB Associates for sending me a review copy so I could share it with my readers! I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and would definitely recommend this book to my readers! Thanks Caitlin!