This is one book you absolutely need to read so I’m putting the link to buy at the top rather than at the end as normal.

Allan Karlsson is a juvenile delinquent, never mind that he’s 100 years old and going strong, he’s a juvenile delinquent. He likes to blow things up, he likes to drink and he seems to get bored rather easily so he changes jobs, travels the world and at some stage he had a passport.

I should tell you more but I’ll try and be restrained. Allan Karlsson is in an old age home and everyone is getting ready to celebrate his 100th birthday, Allan decides to climb out of the window instead He makes his way to the bus station where he happens to find himself minding a suitcase for a young thug, his bus comes along so he gets on with the suitcase. He gets off the bus and ends up making friends with a man 30 years younger than himself, they open the suitcase and find it full of money. The thug follows and someone dies, I’ll let you guess who. Allan then goes on a journey with his new friend, during that journey we get the story of Allan’s life.

There is swearing in this book, there is death…interesting deaths and interesting cover ups but there is no sex. Allan seems to get on with everyone and makes himself understood in a variety of languages. I’ve seen the movie of the book and it leaves out very little, there are lots of subtitles as a lot of it is in various different languages i.e. I lost count.

There are awesome lines in it. One man is telling Allan he’s going to kill him so Allan replies ‘You’d better hurry up then as I’m 100 years old’.

If you’re a history buff then it’d be interesting to read it and see how close the author gets to the mark with all the historical figures.

This book actually illustrates my thoughts on old people. They might get older but they’re still the same as they were when they were young. If they were young and feisty then they’ll be old and feisty. If they’re young and quiet they’ll be old and quiet. If they swore when young then nothing will change. Age doesn’t change the character it just makes you old. I’d really like a biography to help illustrate my thoughts but failing that I’ll use this book.

If this is the calibre of the Swedish novels I ask myself why I haven’t read any till now. Have I told you it’s a book you need on your bucket list yet? If not, then I am now. Don’t leave it too long though as it’s great fun.