The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Loved this book. Listened to the audiobook, which was narrated so well by Steven Crossley.
I loved Allan’s droll stroll through history and enjoyed the blend of Allan’s 100 year old history with his present day escape from the retirement home.
As an example, as he’s trying to get home from China he remarks that he should leave by boat or airplane, “but poor placement of the world’s oceans had ruled out catching a boat from the middle of China.” Crossley delivers the lines perfectly.
Sure, it’s a little Forrest Gump, as Allan, with his knowledge of making explosions and thirst for vodka is borne aloft from prison to prison, world leader to world leader, but I enjoyed the quick trip through many major events of the last century.
The present day caper, in which Allan steals a young man’s suitcase as he waits at the bus station and then really goes on the run, is delightfully absurd (I thought Benny, the guy who is nearly everything from a veterinarian to a taxi driver to a doctor was a fantastic character).