A Man Called Ove Discussion Questions
Questions are written by Ramona Powell
Suicide failures - rope breaking, car exhaust interruption, train guilt. Is there a sense of divine intervention?
Did Sonja marry someone just like her dad? Had she been waiting for him?
Is it Sonja’s life of giving set Ove up with these death wish interventions?
Were you surprised when Ove hit Tom to get his watch back? Ove didn’t react to being called a thief.
What were your feelings on Ove’s reaction to the Clown encounter at the hospital? Was it funny, disturbing, frustrating?
Ove’s Sense of humor? - Did you catch some moments of humor or was it sarcasm?
Relationships - What is the impact of the relationships with these people? Animal?
Sonja - the love of his life?
Parvaneh - love/hate relationship?
The cat
Rune - friends forever despite dispute?
Anita - respect for Sonja’s relationship?
How do you see Parvaneh’s relationship with Ove?
In Simon & Schuster’s book club questions, it says “Ove is forced to change and learn to understand his neighbors and the modern times into which he has been grudgingly dragged.“. Do you think he was forced?
Ove dislikes modernization but is there some modernization that bettered Ove's life?
Ove continues to battle the white shirts (bureaucracy). Is Ove's fight really with the white shirts or is it representative of something else?
What do you think is meant by this passage? "When people don't share it(sorrow) there's a good chance that it will drive them apart instead." pg 246
Does your view of Jimmy change when you hear his story? pg 293
What kind of car do you prefer? Saab? Volvo? BMW? other? Are you as passionate about your car as Ove?
Did you enjoy the epilogue? Was it on point with what you expected?
In Simon & Schuster’s book club questions, it says "Much of the story of Ove's life remains untold." Do you agree?
What is a memorable/funny part of the book for you?