The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson.

5/5 rating. 384 pages.

Book #69 of 2020. Read October 4, 2020.

This is probably the most fun book that I’ve ever read!

Allan Karlsson has lived an amazing and winding life when on his 100th birthday he decides to climb out the window of the old folks’ home and to go on an adventure. As he meets new friends, might accidentally have killed some people, gotten filthy rich, and almost arrested, he continues his life with hopes of having another tomorrow…and maybe some vodka.

His current happenings are as nothing compared to the first 99 years of his life, though. As you go through the book you learn of his meetings with everyone from Kim Jung-Il, to Mao, to Nixon and Truman. He helped invent the atom bomb, stop the Cold War and bring about the fall of the Soviet Union.

I found myself laughing at Allan’s persistence as he somewhat bumbles his way through his life. This book is just pure fun! Somewhat akin to Forrest Gump’s happy accidents of being at major events, if you’re looking for a great light-hearted book, this is definitely it!!!

Quotes:

“Allan thought it sounded unnecessary for the people in the seventeenth century to kill each other. If they had only been a little patient they would all have died in the end anyway.”

“People could do what they wanted, but Allan considered that in general it was quite unnecessary to be grumpy if you had the chance not to.”

“Is my life, by any chance, about to take a new turn?”

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