March 2017 Book Club "A Man Called Ove" by Fredrik Backman

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