On Monday, December 12th, we met at Italiana's Restaurant in
New City to discuss the book, A Man Called Ove. I was thrilled to see
everyone truly enjoyed the book and shared in such a lively discussion about
what Ove's neighbor's describe as "a cranky old man." We learned that
Ove is really a man with a huge heart that is metaphorically and literally
"too big for his body." He lives by staunch principles and very
strict routines, that along with a somewhat short fuse sometimes put him at
odds with the people around him. He growls at his new neighbors for running
over his mailbox, yells at people for bringing cars into his development,
doesn't know why people just can't conform to the same habits and routines that
he enjoys daily, and develops an endearing relationship with a stray cat whom he
professes to hate.
Ove has a sadness about him, one that comes from sorrow in
his life that we can all identify with, losing his parents at a very young age,
losing an unborn child in an accident, and then the love of his life, his wife
of many years, Sonja, to cancer. The author, Fredrik Backman weaves his story
back and forth through Ove's life to show the reader how the things that occurred
in his life shaped this "cranky" somewhat curmudgeonly old man he
has become. But through the eyes of a new "foreign" neighbor,
Parvaneh, and her family, Ove learns to open up, to find joy in the smiles of
children, and to feel useful once again to his neighbors and friends old and
new. I think we all found a soft spot in our hearts for Ove, for the
principles he felt so strongly about, for his basic "goodness" in
his heart, and for the feelings he was finally able to share with the people
around him.
Thank you all!
Have a peaceful, restful and relaxing holiday and a very Happy
New Year!
Looking forward to seeing you all in 2017!
Love,
Robin A
