The Autistic Book Club discussion

They say you should never judge a book by it's cover, unfortunately, I did just that with this book! I was put off by the title and the cover, but have read such excellent reviews from so many people I decided to give it a go. I'm also wondering if there are any Autistic traits in this book that we may be able to relate to?

No spoilers, but what do you think of this book?

Your uncle probably is Autistic! I have heard from so many people who love the book (who pushed past the title and cover!) which is why I'm including it, that and he does sound like he may be Autistic, we'll see...

Sweden is exotic to me! But I did once go to a BookClub that only read books by authors who lived in Melbourne, I didn't like it all, it was so limiting! But I hope you have a good experience with this book, I'll be interested to hear what you think of it... xx

I love this book so much. I have most of the authors other books. Fredrik Backman is now one of my new favorite authors.

My hard copy of the book arrived today! The audiobook narration was too slow. What I did listen to reminds me a lot of my dad in some ways though (also on the spectrum).

I’ve only just started it myself, I’ll be interested to hear what you think of it!

Ok, I'm on page 31, v. emotional!

Well I've finished the book and I honestly don't think I have ever cried so much when reading a book! That isn't meant to be a criticism though, it was a very powerful book; so emotional! I muddled up my dates last week and thought we had the BookClub last Friday, and I'd finished the book the night before. My face was puffy from crying, so I was pleased to realise I had another week to go! There was so much that touched me about this book, there were some representations of common Autistic experiences and I really loved it. I am so pleased I managed to read it despite the unappealing cover and title, I hope you all enjoyed it too!

What do you guys think of the movie A man called Otto? Or the Swedish version

Are we allowed to talk about adaptions of books in this club? 😅

Yes! We can, in fact, talk about anything we like, as long as the person talking is Autistic.

I am ‘encouraging’ my husband to read Ove but he hasn’t finished yet, as soon as he has we’ll watch the movie, but I’m interested to see what other ppl think of it?

It wasn't bad. I'm a book purist who always thinks the book is better. I was just curious as to what other people think because the people in my circle haven't read the book.

Also they change the name Ove to Otto for an easier American pronunciation.

Just thought I'd ask my Mum read it and understood Ove is Autistic but everyone in her church didn't, they were Allistic but you know.

Is Ove definitely Autistic?

To us he is, but it has never been made canon. He is either very Swedish or old.

I JUST finished the book (like, 5 minutes ago). To me, he comes across as extremely autistic (and did quite early in the book. All those little rituals (how he has to do things three times; he has to go for a walk around the residential area to check and make sure everything's safe before he'll eat breakfast; he has to visit Sonja to bring her fresh flowers on the same day every week, his need for a strict routine, etc.) made me say right away, "Holy shit, this guy's autistic!" And, that's not even considering Ove's lack of social skills, need to hold himself to high moral standards, dislike of eye contact (he's constantly looking at the ground or floor), dislike of social gatherings, etc.

Thank you for your insights its extremely helpful.

I also saw Ove as Autistic. Also the way he was bullied and taken advantage of, such painfully common Autistic experiences, unfortunately. I loved that book, one of the most emotional books I’ve ever read.