A Man Called Ove

• Genre: Fiction; contemporary literary
• Originally Published: 2012
• Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 870L; grades 9-12; college/adult
• Structure/Length: 39 chapters; epilogue; approx. 352 pages; approx. 9 hours, 13 minutes on audio
• Protagonist and Central Conflict: After his beloved wife Sonja dies, a cantankerous 59-year-old man, Ove Lindahl, plans his own death by suicide, but new next-door neighbor Parvaneh has other plans in store for him.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Death of spouse; suicidal ideation; derogatory references to body size, health, religion, and sexuality (generally framed as expressions of the main character's negativity, but in some cases originating with the omniscient narrator)

Fredrik Backman, Author

• Bio: Born in 1981 and raised in Helsingborg, Scania; a Swedish journalist, novelist, and nonfiction writer; lives in Stockholm with his family; works published in 40 countries
• Other Works: My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry (2015); And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer (2016); The Deal of a Lifetime (2017); Anxious People (2020)
• Awards: Starred reviews from Booklist and Publishers Weekly

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Unit:

• Distrust of Technology
• The Importance of Purpose in Life
• Rules Versus What's Right

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Unit, students will:

• Gain an understanding of the socio-cultural context of the novel regarding emotional depth of relationships like Ove and Sonya’s marriage.