Similar tones are developed within each contemporary text with irony, metaphors and other literary techniques to highlight the differences in the influence of love on the protagonists. Both protagonists experience grief from the loss of a loved one which contributes to their hopeless attitude about love. After the death of Sonja and loss of Daphne's memory, Ove and Don continued the routines involving their loved ones in a long grieving process involving denial. As '[Daphne's] memory failed, [Don] celebrated Daphne's birthday more often', demonstrating his loyalty despite her inability to recognise him. Simsion uses 'daphne' flowers to symbolise the longevity of the couple's friendship whilst developing the melancholy tone of the friendships decline when she could no longer '[respond] to the daphne' flowers. This tone is also accentuated by Backman in his narration of Ove's inspection of 'the whole house twice a day to feel the radiators and check that [Sonja] hasn't sneakily turned up the heating', despite her death 'six months' prior. Furthermore, Backman's simile of the 'noose closing around [Ove's] throat like the jaws of a large wild animal' depicts the protagonist's complete loss of hope due to his immense grief from the absence of love. On the contrary, these moments of isolation and depression are interspersed with irony, creating humourous undertones that represent optimism in regards to finding love. In both A Man Called Ove and The Rosie Project, the authors develop an ironic perspective with the polarity of the protagonists and their respective lovers. While Ove hates being late, Sonja 'cannot stick to a plan even if [Ove glued her] to it'. Simarily, Don's 'Wife Project questionnaire' revealed that Rosie is 'the world's most incompatible woman' due to her occupation as a 'barmaid', lack of punctuality and smoking habits. Backman and Simsion's irony in the couples' dissimilitude demonstrates the unpredictable nature of love that defies logic. Moreover, a variety of linguistic techniques are utilised by the authors to construct hopeful tones in the concluding chapters of their contemporary novels. Backman portrays Ove's acceptance of love through the symbolism of the drawings created by Parvaneh's 'seven-year-old' and 'three-year-old' children. The drawings of 'riotous colour' that are addressed 'To Granddad' are placed on Ove's fridge, acknowledging his optimism in life due to the love he is surrounded by. Concurrently, Simsion displays Don's perseverance for love through the implementation of lists to replicate Don's evolution of thought. At the termination of the 'Rosie Project', Don concludes his amalgamation of 'what [he had] learned' with the pessimistic assumption that he '7... still couldn't fix [him]self'. Simsion manifests anxious suspense for his readers before revealing Don's final point, '4... I was in love with Rosie'. In both texts, the progression of tone from depressive to humourous, and finally hope, mirrors the impact of having loving relationships in the protagonists' lives.