A Man Called Ove (Frederik Backman)

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1. What is the genre?

Global—Morality > Testing > Triumph

Secondary—Love > Marriage

2. What are the conventions and obligatory scenes for the genre?

Conventions

Despicable protagonist begins at his/her worst: Ove is a self-centered grump, even before he loses his job. Without Sonja in his life, his anger at all the injustice he’s had to face over his life are now unchecked.

Spiritual mentor/sidekick: Sonja’s presence is with him always.

Seemingly impossible external conflict: Trying to get through life in a world that doesn’t make any sense to Ove, without the one person who made it worth it, and then loses his job … it’s the last straw.

Ghosts from protagonist’s past torment him/her: the memories of the “white shirts” and the injustice he’s witnessed, all the “rules are rules” bullshit that he can’t stand.

Aid from unexpected sources: all the neighbors that Ove has been grumpy to over the years stand behind him, as though he all know how great he is even when he refuses to act that way.

Obligatory Scenes

A shock upsets the hibernating authentic self: Ove loses his job and prepares to kill himself, but the neighbors across the road need help backing up a trailer.

The Protagonist expresses inner darkness with an overt refusal of the Hero’s Journey call to change: Ove does the bare minimums to help, just enough to satiate his own neurosis and then retreats back into his own obsessions with leaving this world behind.

Protagonist faces an All Is Lost Moment and either discovers their inner moral code or chooses the immoral path: Ove is preparing to kill himself when Adrian and Mirsad knock on his door. Mirsad needs a place to stay because his father has kicked him out for being gay. Ove does what he knows Sonja would have wanted and allows Mirsad to stay. This is a major shift for Ove. He doesn’t try to commit suicide again.

Protagonist actively sacrifices self in service of an individual, a group, or humanity (positive) or consciously chooses to remain selfish (negative): Ove begins putting his gift to use for all his neighbors: Rune and Anita, Mirsad and his dad, Parvaneh and the kids … he allows himself to be a part of the world around him, and allows himself to be the man he always was with Sonja.

Protagonist faces literal or metaphorical death and either loses the battle but gains self-respect, meaning and peace; or wins the battle but loses those things: Ove dies of natural causes three years later, after living a fulfilled life. He has an inheritance to leave behind to those he loves, and hundreds attend his funeral to honor him.

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3. What is the point of view?

The story is told by an omniscient narrator who, while centering on Ove, shifts at perspective at will, from the present to the past, inserting thoughts and commentary for various characters, including the epilogue which gives us insight into the world after Ove’s death. The main narrative drive seems to be mystery as we discover not only what Ove is up to in the present, but what happened to him and Sonja in the past to make him the way he is.

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4. What are the objects of desire?

External/Conscious: Ove wants to live life on his own terms, and if he can’t, well then, he doesn’t want to live anymore.

Internal/Subconscious: Ove needs to live and give of himself in all circumstances, even when (especially when) the world is unfair.

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5. What is the controlling idea / theme?

Love prevails, even in death, when we continue to give our best to others despite life’s hardships.

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6. What is the beginning hook, middle build and ending payoff?

Beginning Hook – The recent widower, Ove, loses his job and decides to kill himself because “he’s had enough.” He is interrupted by his neighbors who are inept at pretty much everything, but all this does is delay him. He adds the hook and hangs himself … until the rope breaks. Since the day is ruined anyway, he decides to help his neighbor with their radiator.

Middle Build – Ove continues his attempts to kill himself but is continually interrupted by someone who needs his help, which he feels duty-bound to Sonja (his deceased wife) to do. But after a run-in with a local bureaucrat who brings up the pain and anger of Ove’s past, he decides to kill himself with a rifle. Just as he’s about to follow through, there is a knock at the door—a young man has been kicked out by his father for being gay. Ove knows what Sonja would want him to do, so he allows him to stay.

Ending Payoff – Ove turns a corner and begins putting his gift into action for all of those in his neighborhood. He makes up with his old friend Rune, helps keep him from going into a home. Even when Ove’s heart wants to give out, he decides to stick around, living three more years and contributing to the lives around him, until his natural death.

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