Ove
The protagonist of the novel. Ove is a 59 year old widower who spends his time enforcing the rules of the neighborhood and grumbling at the current state of the world. He attempts to kill himself multiple times, but keeps being interrupted by his nosy new neighbors, Parvaneh and Patrick. A friendship forms between them, and by the end of the novel, Ove has given life another chance.
Sonja
Ove's deceased wife. She was a teacher, and had a love of books. She met Ove on a train, and married him shortly after. When she was pregnant, she and Ove went on a trip to Spain and got into a bus accident. They lost the baby and Sonja became wheelchair bound. Ove has a dislike of people he calls "the white shirts" because of the way they treated Sonja, saying that she was unfit to work and not letting him build a wheelchair ramp at the school she worked at. She died of cancer. Ove frequently visits her grave.
Parvaneh
Ove's neighbor, who he refers to as "the Pregnant One." She, her husband Patrick, and their two young daughters move in next door to Ove, and accidentally crash their trailer into his mailbox. Although Ove initially dislikes her, they grow to become friends.
Patrick
Ove's neighbor and Parvaneh's husband. Ove refers to him as "the Lanky One." He works as an IT consultant. One day, he falls off a ladder, and Ove grudgingly gives Parvaneh a ride to the hospital to see him. Patrick's family and Ove grow closer, and by the end of the book his daughters refer to Ove as "Granddad."
Rune
Rune is Ove's neighbor and former friend. They disliked each other because of disagrements about things like the Residents Association and what kind of car they drove. He has Alzheimers, and government authorities plan to take him away from the care of his wife Anita and put him in a home.
Anita
Rune's wife and Ove's neighbor. She was good friends with Sonja before her death. She takes care of Rune, but is afraid that he will be taken away from her and put in a home.
Jimmy
Ove's overweight and friendly neighbor. He moved into the neighborhood as a child with his mother. His mother's boyfriend abused them, but Ove and Rune stepped in and drove him out. He is married to Mirsad by the end of the novel and they adopt a daughter together.
Anders
Ove's neighbor. Ove dislikes him because of the car he drives, and his girlfriend's dog constantly pees on Ove's lawn. Anders breaks up with his girlfriend and starts dating a journalist named Lena, who moves in with him.
Lena
A journalist who constantly bothers Ove by asking him for an interview after he saves a man's life on the train tracks. He tells her to go away multiple times, but eventually allows her to interview him. She starts dating Ove's neighbor Anders and moves in with him.
Adrian
A teenager who asks Ove to help him repair a bike to impress a girl he likes. He also introduces Ove to Mirsad.
Mirsad
A colleague of Adrian's. He is gay, but when he comes out to his father he is kicked out of the house. Because Mirsad has nowhere to go, Adrian brings him to Ove's house, and Ove reluctantly lets him stay. Mirsad later marries Ove's neighbor Jimmy and they adopt a daughter together.
