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

Allan Karlsson would rather skip his hundredth birthday party. He climbs out of his nursing-home window, heads for the bus station and takes off with someone else’s suitcase. The ensuing pursuit alternates with episodes from an earlier life in which his talent for explosives brought him into contact with major figures of the twentieth century.

Adventure Contemporary & literary Historical Absurdism Dry wit

From the publisher’s blurb

“he’d like a bit more control over his vodka consumption”

Read the full description at Hachette Book Group, publisher description

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What makes it funny?

Allan sizes up a cemetery as a place to rest rather than a reminder to behave solemnly. After considering the benefits of being alive, he resumes fleeing the nursing-home director. A low wall becomes a serious obstacle for his knees, prompting a matter-of-fact recollection of crossing the Himalayas.

The comedy at work

Allan’s practical concerns stay much the same whether he’s evading his birthday party or encountering powerful historical figures. The narration treats unlikely adventures with a straight face, and the chase depends on coincidence as much as planning.

Try this if…

Outlandish life stories and accidental encounters with history are central attractions. The pace of the jokes may suit readers who prefer steady, understated amusement: Kirkus admired how consistently the novel amused while noting that it offered few individual scenes of explosive laughter.

Good to know

Vodka, explosives and criminal deaths are recurring elements, including a death involving an elephant in the publisher’s setup. The opening also includes bodily humor about Allan’s slippers. Historical dictators appear in a deliberately implausible comic story.