This international best seller, translated into 38 languages, also has been made into a stage show and movie which you can catch on Netflix. Bachman has had great success with Ove which is one of Sweden’s most popular books along with the Steig Larson thrillers. The books couldn’t be more different.
Who is Ove? He is a cranky widower who is lonely, and except for a running dialogue with his dead wife, he is uncommunicative and unpleasant to his neighbors. As the book exposes Ove’s background, the reader becomes aware that perhaps he suffers from Asperger’s syndrome. Adherence to rules play a big part in his life. His loving wife was able to jolly him out of his penchant for extreme order and compulsive behavior. He loved her dearly, as she was his anchor, and after her death he sinks into a depressive morass. If you think this is a sad and serious book, you would be mistaken. Parts of it are hilarious as Ove tries to police his neighbors, usually unsuccessfully. Ove’s attempts at suicide are equally comical and thwarted at every turn.
Two influences work on Ove to turn his lonely life around. On is a mangy, stray cat which he finds impossible to ignore and the other is Parveneh, a delightfully drawn pregnant Iranian immigrant, with two daughters who seem impervious to his grumpy ways and shower him with affection.
It is impossible to dislike this book and its characters, even Ove. It is charming and funny and tugs on your heartstrings as Ove begins to realize that no man is an island. Love is what heals Ove and if you look at his name, you see that only the L is missing which is just what his journey is about.
My book group read A Man Called Ove and loved it!
ReplyDelete