BOOK CLUB BEAT
THE BOOK
A MAN CALLED OVE
with Sherry Hemingway
Author Frederik Backman
A
Man Called Ove is an unlikely tale
of humor and redemption. Who
could love a man who expects
the worthless world to disappoint him,
or punches the hospital clown in the
emergency room? Nearly everyone,
apparently.
In 2014, a Swedish blogger wrote this
novel about an endearing curmudgeon,
and the world fell in love with Ove. The
book sped across the planet, selling 2.8
million copies and was translated into
38 languages. As of this writing, it has
spent 26 weeks on the New York Times
bestseller list. The newly released Swedish
movie, based on the book, is Sweden’s
submission for Oscar consideration as a
foreign language film.
Ove (pronounced OO-veh) is a
59-year-old Swede living alone in a non-
descript row house. His approach to life is
reflected in his daily routine. He awakens
at dawn to “inspect” the neighborhood for
parking violators. When he finds one, he
immediately telephones the useless bloody
imbecile who can’t read signs.
The man Ove is today has been
honed by a life of tremendous hardship.
He is lonely, his deeply loved wife has
died, his best friend is disappearing into
Alzheimer’s and he has been forcibly
retired from the job he held for a third of
a century. Ove is at the end of his rope,
literally, and is meticulously planning
suicide. Ironically, this is where the
humor and his redemption begin.
Ove intends to die, neatly and
efficiently, but every attempt is thwarted
by someone in need of his help. It seems
the world has a different plan for Ove.
This book’s unexpected, feel-good plot
will make you laugh and cry, occasionally
at the same time. This book is about
how one man can rebuild his own world
and make a difference in so many lives,
including new neighbors (“foreigners”),
scraggly cats, abused women and gay
teenagers (“bent”). He remains forever
cranky, cantankerous and surrounded by
people who refuse to see it. What they
see is a man with a golden heart, but little
tolerance for anyone who does not drive
a Saab.
Love this book. Love Ove.
LuSal
Book
Club
Named for founders Lucy Grisetti and Sally Wrye, the LuSal Book Club started as
a group of tennis buffs and evolved into a book club. Members of the three-year-
old group are a mix of Gilroy, Morgan Hill and San Martin residents. They are
(front row, l-r) Mary Ann Ruggles, Barbara Carr, Donna Melching, Diana Scariot;
(back row, l-r) Ann Raymaker, Sally Wrye, Stacey Nydam, Lucy Grisetti and
Carol Marques. Missing are Debra Grove, Ruth Irving and Brenda Sass.
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017
LuSal’s Book Picks
Man Called Ove
by Frederik Backman
Big Little Lies
by Liane Moriarty
Boys in the Boat
by Daniel James Brown
Me Before You
by Jojo Moyes
Never Home
by Laird Hunt
The Paris Wife
by Paula McLain
The Light Between Oceans
by M.L.Stedman
SHERRY HEMINGWAY
spent her childhood after lights
out with a book and flashlight
under the covers. With degrees
from Kent State University and
Harvard University, her lifelong
career was in journalism and
public relations. Her hobbies
are travel in (very) remote
countries, volunteering, and
two book clubs.
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