 |
| The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson (my own photo) |
On his one-hundreth birthday, Allan Karlsson decides to leave the old people's home. He climbs out of the window and embarks on a crazy journey, complete with a runaway elephant, a criminal gang, and an almost-doctor. The story is intercut with details of Allan's eventful life, and his role in some of the most important events of the twentieth century.
The novel was really funny. The juxtaposition between Allan's direct, matter-of-fact outlook and the sometimes wacky, sometimes world-changing events he is involved in was very entertaining.
I really enjoyed the characterization of Allan. It's really rare to see an elderly person as the central protagonist of a novel. More often then not, they're someone's wise mentor, or someone looking back on their eventful, younger years. Allan was a really fun character, and I enjoyed reading about him.
Chance of finding it in my imaginary bookstore? 95%