A Man Called Ove

The narrator says that death is strange. It's often the greatest motivator to keep living, and most people fear it. People said that Ove was bitter, but the narrator insists that Ove wasn't: he just didn't smile all the time. The narrator says that time is funny too, and one of the most painful moments of life is when someone realizes they have more life to look back on than forward to. Some people live for other things, like grandchildren. When Sonja died, Ove stopped living.

The hospital staff refuse to let Parvaneh follow Ove's stretcher into the operating room and it takes Patrick, Jimmy, Mirsad, Anders, Adrian, and four nurses to keep her from following. She overturns benches and screams at doctors. At 3:30am, they finally let Parvaneh into Ove's room. She nearly crumbles when she sees Ove, but steadies herself and approaches him. She starts crying, hits his arm, and tells him he can't die. Ove hoarsely tells her to calm down. Parvaneh takes his hand and sits down. He strokes her hair and confirms that she didn't let the ambulance into the residential area.

After 40 minutes a young doctor finally goes into Ove's room. He mispronounces Parvaneh's name and seems confused that an Iranian woman is listed as next of kin for the very Swedish-looking Ove. Ove and Parvaneh snicker at each other and the doctor begins to explain that Ove has a heart problem in complicated medical jargon. Parvaneh looks at him blankly and the doctor says that Ove's heart is too big. Parvaneh stares at the doctor and at Ove for a minute and then starts laughing uncontrollably. Ove rolls his eyes and the doctor looks confused. Finally, the doctor says that if Ove takes medication they can control it for months or years. Parvaneh waves her hand and states that Ove is lousy at dying.

Ove returns home four days later, supported by Parvaneh and Patrick. The cat is waiting outside the door. Inside, Parvaneh explains the drawings all over Ove's table that Nasanin and the seven-year-old drew. She looks embarrassed at the writing on the drawings and explains that her father died in Iran and the girls have never had a grandfather, but Ove tells her the girls can call him what they want to. He puts the drawing that says "to Granddad" in the top spot on the fridge.

Ove fetches boxes from the attic, and that evening Parvaneh, Nasanin, and the seven-year-old help put Sonja's things away. After 9:00pm, as the girls sleep on Ove's couch, Parvaneh grips Ove's arm and they go back to the hospital. Parvaneh gives birth to a boy.