The book that has sold 6 million copies worldwide has also inspired a movie that will be released in Sweden December 25th. The film's trailer is hilarious, half in Swedish, with English and German tossed into the mix. The author, Jonas Jonasson, has a taste for the absurd.Characters in the 100 Year Old Man include the centurian, an over-educated hotdog vendor turned chauffeur, a murderous elephant, Einstein's siblings and third world dictators. Mix with ludicrous plot details like bootlegging liquor in a prison camp, and drinking presidents and dictators under the table.
Allan Karlsson is the 100 year-old man who has wreaked havoc around the globe his entire life. The story pops back and forth between his present day escapades and past adventures. Allan is apolitical and actually a bit amoral, so along with suspending disbelief readers are asked to take life and historical events a bit less seriously.
This was Debra's pick for the BB's club this December and she was the only one in the group that didn't really enjoy the book, not liking either the story or the way it was told. My 'other' book club discussed the novel last March, where it was much-loved for its whimsy and light-hearted humour.
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