A Man Called Ove and Community

The expectation of a life well lived for most people ends with the images of them surrounded by those they love. For the titular Ove, from Fredrik Backman’s debut novel A Man Called Ove, this expectation is to die a simple, clean death so he can be reunited with his wife.

Ove is a straightforward, hermetic man who believes his purpose in life has ended since he no longer has a job or a family to take care of. Throughout the book, we see that he only deals in practicalities, hates being sentimental, and loves his wife. But his wife, Sonja, who he calls “all the colour in his black and white world,” passes away unexpectedly due to an accident. Ove’s reasoning for wanting to pass on is that he had no one, until Sonja. Now that she is no more, he wishes to join her.

Ove’s story is topical to the current times, within our country and all over the world. According to the UNFPA, India’s ageing population—which is classified as those aged 60 and above—is currently at 153 million and is projected to reach 347 million by 2050. India has the benefit of having the largest population of youth, keeping the balance of demographics intact, but this balance is delicate.

Further, this population is susceptible to the worst fate: social isolation and loneliness, leading to mental illness. Most people even expect to be forgotten and begin to accept it, despite its detrimental effects on the human psyche. The only person the elderly expect to have around to the end of their lives is their partner, but if their partner passes away before them, they get completely cut off from the world.

As the story progresses, we see how Ove- who goes through this social isolation- is brought back into the fold because of the community that unconsciously and persistently revives his vigour for life. They constantly turn to him for help and though he grumbles about the support that his neighbours demand from him, he helps them however he can. He does all of it in the name of his wife, but as he opens his clean home, his well-maintained Saab, and his previously shrunk heart to accommodate this host of characters, it becomes obvious that some part of him feels fulfilled through these interactions as well.

The story explains to the reader, through straightforward narrative and subtle humour, the importance of rallying around those the world often leaves behind. It shows how relying on the elderly for experience, if nothing else, can make them feel appreciated and needed, thereby keeping them in the routine of society.