Jonas Jonasson’s The One-Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared is a delightful, funny, and wonderfully strange tale. It all kicks off on Allan Karlsson’s 100th birthday. Despite his age, Allan’s in pretty good shape. However, he can’t stand life at the old folks’ home. So, on a whim, he climbs out of his ground-floor window, steps into a flower bed, and casually heads to the local bus station. After buying a ticket, his adventure begins.
In a comical turn of events, Allan “acquires” a suitcase filled with cash. At his destination, he stumbles upon an abandoned railway station and meets a shifty 60-year-old squatter. It soon becomes clear that the suitcase Allan picked up belongs to a gang of dangerous criminals who are desperate to get their money back. With the crooks on their tail, Allan and his new companion take off on a rail car, suitcase in tow.
Oh, and he also “acquires” the body of the crook who was supposed to deliver the money to his boss. As the story unfolds, flashbacks reveal Allan’s remarkable life, from saving Generalissimo Franco during the Spanish Civil War to contributing to the Manhattan Project, and much more. Somehow, he always ends up at the heart of some of the most significant events of the 20th century.
Meanwhile, both the police and the criminals are in hot pursuit, but Allan? Well, you’ll have to read this hilarious novel yourself to find out what happens next—I wouldn’t want to spoil the fun!
P.S. I didn’t buy this book—I borrowed it from my local library. If you can not find it at your local library, buy it.
You won’t regret it!