By Jonas Jonasson
Reviewed by Dennis Bianchi
Millions of people read the Scandinavian trilogy revolving around The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, unable to get enough of the dark underworld of Sweden. The weather in Sweden may bring about a sense of darkness and cold to several Scandinavian writers but Jonas Jonasson is decidedly different. This novel is hilarious. I seldom read three paragraphs without breaking into a smile or laughing out loud.
Allan Karlsson is about to celebrate his 100th birthday while residing in a nursing home when he decides he would rather do something more exciting. He had lived a most interesting life the previous 99 years and found the home not to his liking. He, therefore, climbs out a window in his bedroom slippers and sets out in search of adventure and vodka. He certainly finds them. The reader is advised to relax and suspend one's disbelief; let Mr. Jonasson spin his many tales. You won't be disappointed.
Allan must first get away from the home in a secretive manner to avoid detection which would mean a return to the nursing home. A rail station is the starting point. He has enough cash to get him out of town but not much else. A stranger asks him to watch his large rolling suitcase for a moment. Allan takes the opportunity to catch his train, pulling along the suitcase. Believing he may have found a way to assist himself on his trip he discovers he has walked away with a fortune in cash. Only after the owner of the suitcase discovers he has been taken advantage of does the reader learn that the cash belongs to an organized crime group, albeit a fairly inept group. (They intend to have the word "violent" sewn onto the back of their gang jackets but fail to notice that the word "violins" is what is there instead.) With this discovery Allen is off to his great adventures.
Allan eventually meets a few folks who assist him in his great escape, a very well educated hot dog-stand vendor and even a woman with an elephant in her backyard. A member of the gang attempting to recover the cash meets an untimely death under the hind-quarters of this elephant.
The author intersperses Allan's current interesting developments with his even more interesting previous life, giving the reader a most interesting take on 20th Century history. As a young fellow, Allan worked in the explosive industry and learned a lot about blowing things up. Lacking a college education didn't deter him from becoming one of the better bomb makers of his age. He has no political attachments and wants none, but he is in great demand by different nations. When not jailed he travels the world, meeting heads of state and their aides. He dines with Franco during the Spanish Civil War, he meets Mao, who provides him with freedom and cash which he enjoys in the company of Albert Einstein's half-brother in Indonesia. As a result of this story I found myself looking up several historical characters as the story moved along, including Lawrentiya Beria, the head of Stalin's secret police. The author's description of an ammunition fire that destroys Vladivostok is incredible, but fictitious. As a fan of President Harry Truman I found myself enjoying immensely the scenes of Allan and President Truman over-enjoying cocktails as the President tries to use Allan's talents to get the Atomic Bomb viable, which of course occurs in a most humorous and round-about manner. Or as the author puts it, "...which goes to show what a couple of bottles of tequila can do for international relations."
But these scenes occur intermittently, as Allan and his growing number of co-adventurers encounter new and difficult situations. The police are closing in, the gang members are in hot pursuit but Allan Karlsson is always philosophical and relaxed. While observing a manufacturing plant that had once been a maker of cannons as far back as the seventeenth century, the author informs us, "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... And you could say the same of all epochs." The logic of Allan's thinking is clear while entertaining, as is this book. Don't expect a classic, just enjoy a great escape into humor and an opportunity to learn about or, at least refresh your knowledge, of numerous historical activities and powerful people.
It was retired Captain Steve Tacchini who brought this book to my attention and I appreciate his doing so. Thanks Steve.
