A Man Called Ove characters

Appears from the start

A fifty-nine-year-old widower with rigid principles, practical skill, and little patience for rules he considers foolish. Recently forced out of his job, he patrols his housing development each morning, correcting parking violations and other lapses. His blunt manner conceals grief and a deeply rooted belief that actions matter more than talk.

First appears in chapter 2

Ove's late wife, whose absence governs his solitary routines. Warm, expressive, and interested in books and people, she could reach parts of Ove that he rarely showed anyone else. The house and neighborhood remain full of reminders of their life together.

First appears in chapter 3

Ove's pregnant new neighbor, an Iranian immigrant who arrives with her husband and two daughters. Perceptive, determined, and unimpressed by Ove's attempts to keep everyone at a distance, she quickly discovers that his complaints are often followed by practical help.

Also known as The Lanky One

First appears in chapter 3

Parvaneh's good-natured Swedish husband, whose difficulty reversing a trailer into the development brings the new family into immediate conflict with Ove. He works in information technology and lacks Ove's confidence with tools and repairs.

First appears in chapter 3

Parvaneh and Patrick's three-year-old daughter. Openly affectionate and direct, she is curious about the irritable man next door and soon treats him as part of the family's world.

Also known as The Cat Annoyance

First appears in chapter 4

A thin, battered stray that persists around Ove's house despite his disapproval. Independent and difficult to intimidate, the cat becomes another neighborhood responsibility that Ove claims not to want.

First appears in chapter 12

Ove's neighbor and former close friend, now confined to a wheelchair after a stroke. The men once worked together to organize the housing development but fell out after years of rivalry, including fierce disagreement over their preferred makes of car.

First appears in chapter 12

Rune's wife and Sonja's old friend. She cares for Rune at home and has continued treating Ove as a neighbor despite the long breach between the two men. Her quiet persistence connects the present community to its earlier friendships.

First appears in chapter 12

An overweight young neighbor with an easygoing manner and a strong interest in food. He has lived near Ove long enough to understand that the older man's hostility is not the whole of his character.

First appears in chapter 6

A young man whom Ove first confronts over a bicycle he believes is being stolen. Adrian works at a cafe and has more mechanical curiosity than experience, making Ove's practical knowledge useful to him.

First appears in chapter 20

Adrian's reserved friend, who works with him at a cafe. He is wary of Ove's temper but is drawn into the growing network of younger neighbors who rely on Ove's practical assistance.

First appears in chapter 20

A persistent local journalist who wants to interview Ove after a public rescue. He distrusts publicity and tries to evade her, while she recognizes that his reluctant heroism is a story worth pursuing.

Also known as The man in the white shirt

First appears in chapter 28

A municipal official involved in plans to move Rune out of his home and into institutional care. His impersonal confidence and reliance on administrative authority make him the focus of Ove's anger at systems that disregard individual lives.