On March 16th I started reading a book that my sister had and recommended – I was in the mood for something light. And this book was perfect – totally silly, really; but extremely enjoyable. I laughed my ass off:
The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared, by Jonas Jonasson.
This description (from Amazon.com) describes the book very well:
A reluctant centenarian much like Forrest Gump (if Gump were an explosives expert with a fondness for vodka) decides it’s not too late to start over . . .
After a long and eventful life, Allan Karlsson ends up in a nursing home, believing it to be his last stop. The only problem is that he’s still in good health, and in one day, he turns 100. A big celebration is in the works, but Allan really isn’t interested (and he’d like a bit more control over his vodka consumption). So he decides to escape. He climbs out the window in his slippers and embarks on a hilarious and entirely unexpected journey, involving, among other surprises, a suitcase stuffed with cash, some unpleasant criminals, a friendly hot-dog stand operator, and an elephant (not to mention a death by elephant).
It would be the adventure of a lifetime for anyone else, but Allan has a larger-than-life backstory: Not only has he witnessed some of the most important events of the twentieth century, but he has actually played a key role in them. Starting out in munitions as a boy, he somehow finds himself involved in many of the key explosions of the twentieth century and travels the world, sharing meals and more with everyone from Stalin, Churchill, and Truman to Mao, Franco, and de Gaulle. Quirky and utterly unique, The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared has charmed readers across the world.
This was the perfect book to take on vacation with me and I finished it the last day we were there (3/24/15). I only wish I had it to read again! And, after all, it is said that ‘laughter is the best medicine.’ I totally agree with that!
(I’ve said it before many times, but I’ll say it again: I LOVE BOOKS!)