Who is Ove?

**Before I watched the Swedish movie titled "A man called Ove", I read the novel first. I really liked the heartwarming story and very attractive character named Ove, so it did not take long for me to finish reading this book. Since I read this book in the Korean translation, to recall the detailed storyline, I referenced the movie instead of the book.**

Ove is a 59-year-old man who lives by himself. Every morning, he patrols his neighborhood to see if there is someone who breaks the rules of the neighborhood. He treats everyone with a hostile attitude and often quarrels with them. However, Ove is an affectionate husband to his wife, Sonja, who deceased a few months ago from cancer. After patrolling, Ove buys some flowers for her, takes them to her grave, and tells her that he loves and misses her. The farewell with Sonja was the loss of the most precious one because she was the one with who he could talk and share emotions. So, since she passed away, Ove has considered ending his own life as well. Because Sonja was all to Ove, now he does not have any purpose for his life.  

One day, when Ove got fired from the work that he had worked for 43 years, he eventually decides to commit suicide. However, his decision ends up being delayed because he had to quarrel with a new neighbor who flattened his mailbox by accident while moving in. After Parvaneh's family moves in, Ove's attempts to suicide are constantly disturbed due to unexpected events involving the family. With time, Ove and Parvaneh's family become closer, and he agrees to teach Parvaneh to drive. While coaching her driving, Ove begins to talk about his wife and life to Parvaneh.  

In this movie, Ove's past stories are revealed by Ove's recall, dialogue, or monologue. These stories allow us to understand why he became a defensive and offensive person to others. He lost his old house with precious memories of spending time with his parents in a fire because a local beaurocrat, who wanted to develop the area, banned firemen from approaching the house. Fortunately, soon after, he met Sonja, fell in love with her, and got married to her. Sonja got pregnant, so they traveled to Spain for vacation, but they were in a serious bus accident during the trip. They lost their baby and Sonja became wheelchair dependent. Nevertheless, Sonja kept studying hard to become a teacher even after the accident. However, schools refused to employ her with the excuse that they do not have any ramp in school. Because nobody tried to help Ove and Sonja, Ove decided to build a ramp by himself in a school. Eventually, with Ove's support, Sonja was able to be a teacher, and she became a beloved teacher by her students. 

In the end, Ove dies in his sleep because of his heart condition. He leaves a letter to Parvaneh to ask for taking care of his cat, encouraging people to observe the rule in the neighborhood, and inviting very few people who like him to his funeral. More than 300 people come to Ove's funeral to commemorate his life.