The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared

Banish your preconceptions regarding Scandinavian writing! This Swedish novel is neither a crime story, nor is it dark and gloomy. Allan Karlsson, the eponymous centenarian, cannot face his imminent birthday celebration at the old folks home, presided over by the mayor, so he impulsively clambers from his window and escapes in his slippers. Steven Crossley jubilantly recounts Allan's adventures as both his past and present escapades are intertwined. Crossley deftly delivers the Swedish place names as though born to them, but his very British delivery sits a little at odds with this American translation. This aside, his exuberance matches the innocent and sunny disposition that enables Allan to pass safely through numerous twentieth-century upheavals while he influences events from the Russian Revolution to the presidency of Richard Nixon. One thing this feel-good tale does have in common with other Scandinavian writing is plenty of snow and vodka. C.A.T. (c) AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine

Starred review from July 16, 2012
Jonasson’s laugh-out-loud debut (a bestseller in Europe) reaches the U.S. three years after its Swedish publication, in Bradbury’s pitch-perfect translation. The intricately plotted saga of Allan Karlsson begins when he escapes his retirement home on his 100th birthday by climbing out his bedroom window. After stealing a young punk’s money-filled suitcase, he embarks on a wild adventure, and through a combination of wits, luck, and circumstance, ends up on the lam from both a smalltime criminal syndicate and the police. Jonasson moves deftly through Karlsson’s life—from present to past and back again—recounting the fugitive centenarian’s career as a demolitions expert and the myriad critical junctures of history, including the Spanish Civil War and the Manhattan Project, wherein Karlsson found himself an unwitting (and often influential) participant. Historical figures like Mao’s third wife, Vice President Truman, and Stalin appear, to great comic effect. Other characters—most notably Albert Einstein’s hapless half-brother—are cleverly spun into the raucous yarn, and all help drive this gentle lampoon of procedurals and thrillers. Agent: Anna Soler-Pont, Pontas Literary.