A Man Called Ove

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2012

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Character Analysis

Ove

Ove is the 59-year-old protagonist of the book. While he first comes off as unpleasant and gruff, the narrative gradually reveals his difficult past, such as the loss of his parents. These revelations cast Ove as a more sympathetic character despite his argumentative nature. Later, he meets the love of his life, Sonja, and experiences an even greater loss. Sonja suffers serious injury in a bus crash, loses their unborn child, and eventually succumbs to cancer. Ove, a man who thrives off routine and regularity, struggles to adapt after his wife’s death. Throughout the book, however, he uses his deceased wife as the moral compass with which to guide his otherwise meaningless life. Although the desire to commit suicide initially drives Ove, he unwittingly finds purpose in life through aiding his cast of quirky neighbors. His newfound role as a “hero” to others enables him to ultimately survive instead of committing suicide. By the novel’s end, Ove has cultivated several loving and enduring friendships that color his life, even in death.

Sonja

Ove’s wife, Sonja, is deceased when the novel begins. Before she passed from cancer, she was in a wheelchair following a bus accident. Sonja was a sweet and understanding woman, popular among her students and among the neighbors. She adored Ove and saw past his quiet and gruff exterior: “You’re dancing on the inside, Ove, when no one’s watching. And I’ll always love you for that. Whether you like it or not” (96). Ove clearly adored Sonja as well. He is not the kind of man to make flowery speeches and shows his love through actions. For instance, he built Sonja a bookcase because she loved books. This is when she first told him she loved him. Sonja colored Ove’s otherwise bleak existence, and he is unable to let her go, even long after she dies. He uses her as a guiding light in his life, which subsequently enables him to heal.

Parvaneh

Parvaneh is an Iranian woman who moves in with her family next door to Ove at the start of the book. He first sees her only as the “Pregnant Foreign Woman” (28), but she becomes the person that Ove bonds with more than anyone else in the book. She plays a pivotal role in drawing him out of his isolated shell of depression. Parvaneh recognizes Ove’s desire to end his life and intervenes to give him purpose through seemingly menial tasks. As a result, Ove begins to expand his emotional capacity and allow others into his life. Parvaneh’s name means “butterfly” (142), and she aptly plays an integral part in Ove’s metamorphosis.

Cat Annoyance

This is the name that Ove gives the stray cat he inadvertently takes in. While the cat at first is unwelcome, Ove warms to it and comes to value its presence. Before any people can get close to Ove, the cat paves the way and is the first being that gets him to open up and start changing his ways after Sonja’s death. It’s by his side when he dies.