Hi Book Club Members,
March’s meeting at Natilie’s Pizzeria for discussion of the
novel A Man Called Ove was well
attended and, as always, enjoyable. Barb D., Barb K., Cheryl, Ginnie, Lori,
Kathy, Sharon, and I examined the many eccentricities of Fredrik Backman’s main
character, Ove. No matter how crabby and cratchity a man Ove was described to
be, we all understood his fragility and insecurity. And maybe even a little bit
of an undefined behavioral disorder adds to Ove’s inexorable endearment.
Ove grew up “the hard way.” As a child, he lost his mother
to cancer, and as a teen, he lost his father to tragedy. Life’s hardships, quite
naturally, paved the way for the development of Ove’s severely pessimistic
nature. Luckily for Ove, fate smiled on him the day he spotted the sun
reflecting off a golden brooch pinned to the dress of Sonja, the woman who
recognized Ove’s own shining treasure, his committed heart, and she agreed to
become his wife. Throughout their marriage, we learn that the ever-optimistic Sonja
helped Ove navigate through his obsessive tendencies of stereotyping and
opinionating on all manner of human activity. “Ove is Ove,” his wife would
lovingly say.
Ove’s most difficult concession along with the passing of
Sonja is his forgiveness of the idiocracy of mankind. To feign tolerance of
those morons who drive anything other than a Saab rankles him to no end. Just
to think that anyone would want to drive an Audi is beyond his comprehension.
Ove, however, grows on the reader. There is irony in the fact that no matter
how cynical Ove’s character reveals himself to be, Backman somehow links our
hearts to Ove’s. It is done very subtly, as the author weaves us in out of Ove’s
past life and into his present one. Each chapter has its highs and lows. We are
empathetic as we learn how Ove endures life’s challenges: death, hatred,
unfairness, illness, loss, and of course death, again and again – always
lurking. We grieve for Ove’s losses and
through them we are given glimpses of his human side; the Ove who never misses
a visit to his wife’s grave with a handful of flowers.
Despite Ove’s sarcastic tongue, it is no disguise for his hidden
need to be needed by his neighbors, their children, and those who are just
helpless, mindless fools. If the truth be known, Ove’s suicide attempts were
averted by the sheer stupidity of others. Ove just couldn’t die, and idly
ignore the Cat Annoyance and a whole community of incompetents. They wouldn’t
survive without him.
Ove is the cursing uncle we all remember, the prejudiced
grandparent, the tinkering neighbor. He is the old guy who can’t withhold
advice when he sees the ineptitudes of others. He is the codger who guards
every blade of grass in his well-groomed yard, and the incessant car washer who
shines up his sedan only for the brief three-mile trip to church on Sunday. You
gotta love him, that Ove, and we did. Ove will claim one of the top positions
on our list of favorite novels read by our book club.
Some memorable lines from A Man Called Ove:
“This was a world where one became outdated before one’s
time was up. An entire country standing up and applauding the fact that no one was
capable of doing anything properly anymore. The unreserved celebration of
mediocrity” (83) – Backman must be a fan of the film Idiocracy!
“We
always think there’s enough time to do things with other people. Time to say
things to them. And then something happens and then we stand there holding on
to words like ‘if’” (282).
“Death is a strange thing. People live their whole lives as
if it doesn’t exist, and yet it’s often one of the great motivations for
living. Some of us, in time, become so conscious of it that we live harder…Others
become so preoccupied with it that they go into the waiting room long before it
has announced its arrival. We fear it, yet most of us fear more than anything
that it may take someone other than ourselves. For the greatest fear of death
is that it will pass us by. And leave us there alone” (325).
“I said if you have any more problems with those bloody
radiators, you can come and ring my doorbell. The ‘cat’ and me are at home” (221) – LOL!
Lastly, if anyone is inclined to complement their
reading with more of Ove, Sharon suggested renting the movie. Although, she
adds, it is spoken in Swedish, reading subtitles did not take away from
the endearing story.
At some point in the next few weeks, you will hear from me
with the details of our recent April book club discussion of Maude! In the meantime,
enjoy our next title, Barb Direnzo’s pick, The
Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin. We will meet at 6 PM on
Thursday, May 25, at Ann Marie’s Winery in East Butler to enjoy the beautiful
outdoor setting of this restaurant for our discussion. The book promises a
light and humorous reading experience.
Wishing you a blessed month of May!
Tammy
