Oakville Reads discussion

With only a couple of days left in the month, we have just enough time for everyone to weigh in with some final thoughts on Ove and his story...

Backman doesn’t think that Ove is an odd person: He just has his principles. ...Everyone does; it’s just a matter of different principles. The thing that makes Ove funny is his disproportionate response to everything…It was a big part of the story to me, that he isn’t “cured” in the end. He’s the same person when the book finishes as when it began, it’s just the readers’ view of him that has changed. He didn’t become more sympathetic, you just became more understanding.

What did you think of Ove, by the end of the novel? What was your experience of getting to know him? Did you become more understanding of him by the novel’s final pages? If so, when did your feelings begin to shift?

When I first read this comment by the author, I felt a huge wave of happiness and validation. Yes, I thought, Ove isn't cured in the end, he is just surrounded by people who accept him and this brings out his best qualities. Everyone needs and wants to be liked and understood, and this is a perfect example of how communal attitudes can have an effect on others.

Once I understood who Ove really was, i.e., that man deep down inside with the heart of gold, it all became so clear. I found him incredibly endearing and, as I said before, was seriously touched that the family next door, and all those other misunderstood people in the novel, rallied around him and he around them. I'm not sure when the turning point in my own understanding occurred, but maybe it began when Ove accepted the cat into his life. I'm sure though that there were many other telltale signs along the way that continued to positively influence my impressions of him.

If you really enjoyed Ove, you might also appreciate the main character in The Rosie Project

I think that for me, the turning point was when I found out that (view spoiler)[ Ove's wife was dead (hide spoiler)], which was quite early on. I didn't immediately feel a kinship with him, but it sparked my empathy for the first time and it reminded me how little I knew of Ove before I had started to judge him.

I love this quote from Backman - perhaps I didn't even realize what was happening as I read the book. I guess he was the same person at the end of the novel as at the beginning, although I would have said that he softened a bit over time. He seemed able to show more of his emotions and reach out to people, guided by what Sonja would have wanted him to do. My impressions of Ove shifted fairly early in the novel. I felt a great deal of sympathy for him after realizing that he wanted to die and had just lost his wife.

Allison, I liked The Rosie Project, but didn't warm to the main character all that much and didn't feel that my understanding of him shifted a great deal. I watched a film recently called Unfinished Song that parallels Ove's story more closely, and is quite wonderful.

Susan wrote: "I love this quote from Backman - perhaps I didn't even realize what was happening as I read the book. I guess he was the same person at the end of the novel as at the beginning, although I would ha..."

Oh, I loved Unfinished Song! It definitely parallels with Ove!

It's such an interesting question. I'm inclined to think Ove's heart thawed considerably in the warmth of his neighbours' caring and that they in turn became even more tolerant of his outbursts. Robert Rotenberg mentioned that his mystery novels were about redemption and I guess, in a sense, this tale is also about the mystery of a man's life and its redemption. Lovely book.

Best New Year wishes to all!

Maureen wrote: "It's such an interesting question. I'm inclined to think Ove's heart thawed considerably in the warmth of his neighbours' caring and that they in turn became even more tolerant of his outbursts. Ro..."
In the spirit of Christmas, Maureen, perhaps Ove's heart "grew three sizes," just like the Grinch's! Happy new year to you, too, and thank you for joining us so frequently this year with your insightful comments. We look forward to hearing from you in 2016.

Oakville wrote: "In the spirit of Christmas, Maureen, perhaps Ove's heart "grew three sizes," just like the Grinch's!"

Loved this! Thank you.

I know it has been many years since this discussion but I just wanted to say that I absolutely loved this book.

I read a lot of books (around 400 a year) and this has been my only 5 star book so far in 2017 as of mid October.

Now I want to read all this authors work.

Sheila wrote: "I know it has been many years since this discussion but I just wanted to say that I absolutely loved this book.

I read a lot of books (around 400 a year) and this has been my only 5 star book so f..."

Sheila, thank you for chiming in -- better late than never! We love Ove, too! Have you read the author's newest title, Beartown? I hear it's perfect for Canadians!

Ove was my first Allison, but definitely won't be my last. I see Beartown is the start of a series so I may have to jump on that one next. I love my series.

Sheila wrote: "I know it has been many years since this discussion but I just wanted to say that I absolutely loved this book.

I read a lot of books (around 400 a year) and this has been my only 5 star book so f..."

I am enjoying this too, more than i thought. I really enjoy this genre, a sometime PD James fan, and i will look for others by this author. The Seagull is her new one right?

Yes The Seagull is Ann Cleeve's new Vera Stanhope book, but I was actually commenting on A Man Called Ove.