Sunday, June 16, 2013

The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window... by Jonas Jonasson

The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson

I found this novel one day while I was browsing at the bookstore.  I like to look around the store, see what books look interesting and then download them to my Kindle.  The Kindle has me so hooked that I rarely purchase a real book anymore.  I've got enough reading material to keep me busy for a very long time all carefully stored on a device I can easily carry in one hand.

The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared is an absolute hoot!  I'm gong to call it a cross between Forrest Gump and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.  It's set in Sweden after all.  Allan is the 100 year old man who would rather have a drink of vodka than attend his birthday party at the Old Folk's Home.  So he climbs out the window and walks to the bus station. 

The bus station is where his adventure begins.  Or at least this part of his adventure.  The story is a wonderful blend of the past and the present.  What we come to know is that this 100 year old man has had a life well lived.  He has only attended three years of schooling, yet he has become a highly sought after explosives expert.  Throughout his life he has hob nobbed with world leaders and traveled the world.  Life in the Old Folk's Home paled in comparison even at 100 years of age.

I stopped counting how many times I laughed out loud while reading this book.  It's funny and charming with a historical twist.  Murder and intrigue are combined with outright silliness and the author told the story with a unique yet dry sense of humor.  I couldn't wait to turn the page to see what happened next.  There was an unexpected surprise around every corner.

I can only hope I live as long and have as many interesting stories to tell.  The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared will lighten up any day and bring a smile to your face.  Life is worth living no matter what it hands you. The 100 year old man can vouch for that.

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