Ove often discusses the daily trials and
tribulations of life with his wife, even though she has been dead for six
months. And now he has been ‘let go’ from his job so only one of his three
purposes in life remains – keeping order in the residential development in
which he has lived all his adult life.
That is a full time job in itself with folk
parking in the wrong place, letting dogs urinate uncontrollably, and leaning
bikes against the signpost saying ‘no bicycles to be left here’. When new
neighbours announce their arrival by reversing their trailer into his garden
wall, Ove decides enough is enough and the sooner he joins his dead wife the
better.
He’s a methodical man, a practical man, so proper
preparations need to be made; but sequential interruptions by strangers, cats,
children and particularly his new neighbour Parvaneh continually distract him
and draw him into an unfamiliar world of social interaction.
Backman’s portrayal of the archetypical grumpy
old man is spot on (all too recognisable to this critic) providing much humour,
occasional pathos, and an entertaining take on the fundamental question in life
for the Scandinavian male – whether to drive a Saab or a Volvo?
More seriously, as Ove’s past is uncovered
it reveals him as more than a stereotype. As a result the reader gains a
greater emotional stake in his future, which makes this more than just a blackly
humorous comic novel.
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