Point of View

For the most part, the story is told from almost entirely from the third person limited point of view – that is, from a perspective that focuses on Ove, the events in his life, his motivations for the choices that he makes, his reactions to events around him, and his memories. There are occasional references to other characters, particularly to Sonja and her perspectives, but for the most part the story is Ove’s. The most notable, and substantial, point at which the narrative shifts away from Ove is Section 5, Chapter 5 (“A Man Who Was Ove and a Truck in the Forest”), which tells the story of how the relationship between Ove and Sonja’s father began and developed. This is the only place in the narrative where the point of view is that of another character (i.e. Sonja) for more than a few lines...