A Man Called Ove

Ove is the 59-year-old protagonist of the book. While he first comes off as unpleasant and gruff, the narrative gradually reveals his difficult past, such as the loss of his parents. These revelations cast Ove as a more sympathetic character despite his argumentative nature. Later, he meets the love of his life, Sonja, and experiences an even greater loss. Sonja suffers serious injury in a bus crash, loses their unborn child, and eventually succumbs to cancer. Ove, a man who thrives off routine and regularity, struggles to adapt after his wife’s death. Throughout the book, however, he uses his deceased wife as the moral compass with which to guide his otherwise meaningless life. Although the desire to commit suicide initially drives Ove, he unwittingly finds purpose in life through aiding his cast of quirky neighbors. His newfound role as a “hero” to others enables him to ultimately survive instead of committing suicide. By the novel’s end, Ove has cultivated several loving and enduring friendships that color his life, even in death.