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

A wonderful tale of an old man and his eventful life in which he finds himself in various accidental situations and meeting important world leaders. His humble nature and charming personality mean that he is unable to avoid getting into complicated situations, yet he manages to come out unharmed and making friends along the way. I was blown away by this book and upon finishing the last page, it made me smile to read such a tale and it to end so satisfyingly.

The characters in the novel are very imaginatively thought out. Jonasson gives us a background on the characters’ past histories, meaning that we warm to Allan’s group of oddball friends. I particularly liked this about Jonasson’s style of narration. The individual stories do not eat up too much of the main narrative, yet are easy to glide through.

The message coming through from the book is to not take anything in life too seriously. Whether it is authoritative figures, or disastrous turn of events, everything always has a way of working out just right. Additionally, the way that the characters all complement each other show how life is full of differences, making it interesting and colourful.

Originally written in Russian, the charm of the novel is not lost in this translation. Simple yet effective writing, and a unique style of humour; the translators must be commended.

Witty, informative and enjoyable. A great read for almost any type of reader.