Forest Gumpy. But, instead of an overly optimistic, intellectually-challenged main character, the protagonist here is an easy-going, solution-oriented, centurian who loves a good bottle of vodka as much as he hates talking politics. The book alternates between two storylines.

Opening on Allen's 100th birthday, and his decision to climb out the window instead of facing people who would just sing him songs and feed him cake anyway, what happens next is a foolishly funny series of less-than-legal happenstance far more interesting and dangerous than any party at the senior home. But almost every other chapter reveals Allan's backstory, his long, winding, impossible journey from an explosives-expert in Sweden to dinners with plenty of the world's leaders, not to mention contributions that changed the course of political history, despite his aversion to politics.

Originally written in Swedish, this English translation retains a great deal of the tongue-in-cheek humor. It's really rather a silly novel much more interested in garnishing chuckles from its readers than imparting some important theme. If the story has a moral, I'd have to guess it to be: "If all the world's leaders drank together, there'd be far less war." Or "No use in getting upset, a cheery friendly disposition will go along way even in hard times."

An easy, pleasurable read, that will indeed, win many chuckles.

Here's a line from the book that cracked me up:
"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."

Read more Book Reviews by Author/Illustrator Ross Anthony.