Jonas Jonasson's Hundred-year-old Man who Escaped is a charming story, told with gentle good humor and sly wit. A hundred-year-old man tires of life in a senior home and its restrictions on his consumption of vodka. So he climbs out a window and escapes. His adventures begin with an encounter with a young man from a criminal outfit ("Never Again") and a suitcase (full, it turns out, of money, a lot of money).What follows is a tall tale, a shaggy-dog tale, with many long flashbacks. Our hero meets Franco, Truman, Madam Chiang Kai Shek, Madam Mao, the Koreans, a gulag, a trek across the Himalayas and Iran ... You get the picture.
Oh, yes, there is also a tough-talking dame and an elephant. Why not?
The characters are all sympathetic and the tone of the story beguiles. Notwithstanding the longueurs of this journey (and its occasional lapses), the book has received wild approval. The author has projects to continue his rapport with his readers. Check out his website and sequels.
