![]() ![]() ![]() Through Ove's other memories, many of which are exceptionally sad, the reader learns that Ove isn't indiscriminately mean for no reason. He remembers what people said about his father and endeavors to behave in such a way as to inspire people to talk about him in the same way. For example, Ove uses the memories of his father's kindness and honesty to guide his actions as he goes through life. This structure allows the reader to learn about Ove through his memories, and shows how Ove uses memories to form his conception of the world. Nearly half the book consists of flashbacks of Ove's life, spanning from his childhood to the day his boss forced him to retire the day before the novel begins. The novel makes it very clear from the beginning that memories are inescapable and necessary to understanding who a person is. In this way, the novel sets out to explore the potentially disastrous consequences of dwelling on memories to the extent that Ove dwells on his memories of Sonja. Ove attempts to make his memories of Sonja perform the same actions as she did while she was alive-motivating and inspiring him to do the right things-and though Ove’s memories of Sonja are powerful, they aren’t enough to pull Ove out of his grief. ![]() When Ove first appears in the novel, he's a man driven to suicide by his memories and grief over Sonja, his late wife. ![]()
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