Stacy Goldring introduced the First Coast Connect Book Club’s book of the month Tuesday, “A Man Called Ove.”
This bestseller is about a crotchety, short-fused and suicidal old man named Ove, who just lost his wife.
Ove lives in a neighborhood that Goldring refers to as an “isle of misfits.” These “misfits” show Ove the value and importance of life and guide him away from suicide.
“The theme is you’ve got to feel useful and relevant,” Goldring said. “If you can feel relevant then you have a purpose in life.”
Goldring says this novel is an important read for everybody. She emphasizes the importance of the book’s overall message.
“There’s a beautiful line in the book about friendship and it goes something like this: ‘When people don’t share sorrow, there’s a good chance that it will drive them apart instead,’ ” she said. “So with friendship, you have to share the good times, but you also have to share the bad times, too. Because, if you don’t, you’re putting a wedge in the relationship by the sin of omission.”
Extra copies of this book are available at the Jacksonville Public Library. The book has also spawned an award-winning foreign film that is available on Netflix and Amazon Prime.
News Intern Veronica Hall can be reached on twitter @vhall1995 or at newsteam@wjct.org
