A Man Called Ove

“[He] shoved his hands in his pockets in that particular way of a middle-aged man who expects the worthless world outside to disappoint him.”

These brief lines characterize Ove’s worldview. The world has repeatedly disappointed him, and he has faced many obstacles: the loss of his family home, Sonja’s accident, the loss of a child, the loss of Sonja, and the loss of a job. 

“Ove saw the world in black and white. But she was color. All the color he had.” 

Here we see not only Ove’s worldview encapsulated (he sees everything as black/white or right/wrong) but also how Sonja complemented him. She brightened his life, and the narrative reiterates a version of this line twice.

“‘Men are what they are because of what they do. Not what they say.’” 

Ove is a man who does instead of says. This proves a man’s real worth. Think of how he tells Sonja he loves her: by building her bookcases. He voices this opinion to the railway director after Ove refuses to reveal Tom’s thievery.

“She often said that ‘all roads lead to something you were always predestined to do.’ And for her, perhaps, it was something. But for Ove it was someone.” 

This touches on the question of destiny, which seems at odds with a rational character like Ove. However, the chain of events that leads him to Sonja does indeed seem fortuitous: She was his destiny.

“It wasn’t supposed to be like this. You work and pay off the mortgage and pay tax and do what you should. You marry. For better or for worse until death do us part, wasn’t that what they agreed? […] And she wasn’t supposed to be the first one to die. Wasn’t it bloody well understood that it was his death they were talking about?”

This speaks to the disappointment in Ove’s world and the injustice of it all. He technically did everything “right,” yet he receive endless punishments. An unexpected death and an illness like cancer may be the most unjust of all.

“‘You can’t trust bloody buses. The drivers are always drunks.’” 

Ove says this to Parvaneh. Although it appears comical, like a paranoid man’s ravings, the reader learns that Sonja was seriously injured due to a drunk bus driver. This sentiment speaks to Ove’s general distrust of others.

“People always said Ove and Ove’s wife were like night and day. Ove realized full well, of course, that he was the night. It didn’t matter to him.” 

This summation of Ove’s relationship reveals just how much he adored Sonja. She was his sunshine and brought the light to his everyday life.

“A time like that comes for all men, when they choose what sort of men they want to be. And if you don’t know the story you don’t know the men.” 

These lines come after Ove hits his breaking point when he punches Tom for stealing his father’s watch. It speaks to the entire ethos of the book: If one witnessed Ove in a shop or on the street, he would simply appear as obnoxious and mean. However, Ove has a tragic backstory that paved the way for his sour outlook on life.

“He had never heard anything quite as amazing as that voice. She talked as if she was continuously on the verge of breaking into giggles. And when she giggled she sounded the way Ove imagined champagne bubbles would have sounded if they were capable of laughter.”

This is how Ove describes Sonja. Given that he is a very facts-and-figures person and not poetic, it is a surprisingly imaginative way to describe her laughter. It shows just how much of an impact she had on him.

“He hasn’t given any real thought to how one is supposed to present oneself when arriving upstairs. Initially he thought one should be all spruced up and formal. Most likely there’ll be some kind of uniform up there, to avoid confusion.” 

This gives a humorous look at just how important order is to Ove. Even in heaven, he’s convinced that there will be uniforms to avoid confusion. In focusing on the logistics of death, Ove avoids the emotional implications of committing suicide. 

“Fair enough that Ove no longer wants his life. But the sort of man who ruins someone else’s by making eye contact with him seconds before his body is turned into blood paste against the said person’s windscreen; damn it, Ove is not that sort of man. Neither his dad nor Sonja would ever have forgiven him for that.” 

Even in his desperate attempts to die, Ove can’t kick his “right is right” philosophy. Unbeknownst to him, this mentality demonstrates Ove’s empathy and care for others.

“Most men ran away from an inferno. But men like Ove ran into it.” 

Sonja recognized the secret “hero” inside of Ove. She says these lines to a girlfriend who asks her why she even likes him. The implication is that Ove is brave and selfless, although he would never describe himself as such.

“Sorrow does strange things to living creature.”

This is written about the cat Ernest, which runs into traffic in an apparent suicide after Sonja’s father dies. It can also be linked to Ove and his own desires for suicide and strange behavior after Sonja’s death.

“‘People can say whatever they like about you, Ove. But you’re the strangest superhero I ever heard about.’” 

Sonja regarded Ove as a “superhero,” in part because of the aid he offered during their time in Spain. Later, Ove saves a man’s life on the train tracks and helps Rune and Anita. Sonja saw this element of Ove’s character for many years. Despite his grumpy disposition and old age, Ove figures as a heroic character.

“Sonja always said people need to know what they’re fighting for.” 

These lines reflect Ove’s loss—of both Sonja’s companionship as well as of his purpose in life. He always fought for Sonja, so with her gone, he has nothing in life to fight for.

“[Ove] has never liked the feeling of losing control. He’s come to realize over the years that it’s this very feeling that normal folk like and strive for, but as far as Ove is concerned only a complete bloody airhead could find loss of control a state worth aiming for.” 

When Ove is contemplating taking his life with Sonja’s old medications, this is what he thinks. It speaks explicitly to his desire for control.

“So there were certainly people who thought that feelings could not be judged by looking at cars. But they were wrong.”

These lines come after a depiction of Rune and Anita’s heartbreaking realization that they can’t have more kids. Rune downgrades his family car to a two-seater Volvo, and Ove knows what this means, and how sad Rune is.

“Maybe their sorrow over children that never came should have brought the two men closer. But sorrow is unreliable in that way. When people don’t share it there’s a good chance that it will drive them apart instead.” 

This speaks to Rune and Anita’s lack of ability to have more children. The unpredictability of sorrow is a central theme throughout the book as evidenced by Ove’s own desire for suicide. 

“People need function […] And he has always been functional, no one can take that away from him.”

Ove directly acknowledges his need for purpose. He likes to feel useful and work hard, which is why losing his job was the last straw. In lieu of work, Ove gradually accepts tasks to help his neighbors, which both fulfills his desire to have purpose as well as his need to complete tasks correctly.

“‘Other wives get annoyed because their husbands don't notice when they have their hair cut. When I have a haircut my husband is annoyed with me for days because I don’t look the same,’ Sonja would say.” 

Sonja’s cheeky remark demonstrates how reliant Ove is on predictability, order, and routine. It also shows how much Ove loves his wife for who she is. 

“Men in white shirts always win”

This is the sad conclusion that Ove must reach after years of fighting white shirts. He does have his victories, however. Instead of relocating to a care home, Rune can stay with Anita. 

“‘What sort of love is it if you hand someone over when it gets difficult?’” 

Anita says this to the councilman when he comes to pick up Rune. This also reflects Ove’s line of thinking regarding Sonja: He was incredibly angry when, after her accident, a bureaucrat suggested it would be better to move Sonja to a care home. 

“People had always said that Ove was ‘bitter.’ But he wasn’t bloody bitter. He just didn’t go around grinning the whole time. Did that mean one had to be treated like a criminal?”

These lines tell the reader directly what the entire book has been trying to convey: Ove may be grumpy and ornery, but he’s a good man. His bitterness reflects a life of disappointment.