Jonas Jonasson

“There was something pleasant about books, about their very existence.”

Nombeko Mayeki was born in the slums of Soweto, South Africa during apartheid when Nelson Mandela is considered a terrorist and is incarcerated on Robyn Island. Nombeko is destined to a short, hard life but her luck changes when she is run over by a drunken white engineer. Alive, but blamed for the accident because she was stupid enough to be on the pavement at the time, she is sent to work for the car driver- the brandy-soaked head of a secretive nuclear project. Nombeko may be okay as a cleaner but she is amazing with languages and numbers unlike the engineer who makes a made a basic numerical mistake but unlike Nombeko fails to realise it. Along with three Chinese sisters, a pair of twins who are officially one person and an angry young woman, Nombeko finds herself on the run from one of the world's most ruthless secret service. As the book's title informs us, she ends up saving the life of the King of Sweden along with most of country.

This novel is a bizarre blend of humour and historical fiction with each twist in the tale more unlikely than the one before. The book covers an awful lot of history: from politics and racism in South Africa both during and post-Apartheid, the lineage of the Swedish monarchy, the rise of China as a global power, and the history of nuclear weapons. It also dabbles in art forgery along the way. The book savagely mocks the elites of society, organised religion and fanatics of all kinds.

“Pastors and lay missionaries streamed in to save the Basotho people from evil. They brought with them Bibles, automatic weapons and the occasional land mine."

The main character is likeable if a little frustrating to read about as it's hard to believe that someone so bright would be willing to wait so long to make her mark. The extended timescale also made it difficulty for me to form an emotional connection with any of the other characters. However, overall I enjoyed this novel though not quite as much as I did 'The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window & Disappeared' and whilst I didn't actually laugh out loud it did make me smile on numerous occasions meaning that I will certainly consider reading more of the author's works.… (more)

A cheery, feel-good novel. This book covers the life and times of Allan Karlssson, unwilling resident of Malmkoping Old People's Home. His disappearance and subsequent adventures are detailed in this account, together with a parallel account of his involvement with more than a handful of the 20th century's most notable leaders, throughout the world. Allan is an innocent with the knack of being in the right place at the right time. He falls in with one rogue after another, but each is more affable than the last, while the Police and other law makers are a pretty useless bunch.

This is a charming book, though one that perhaps is just a litle too long. It's a perfect contrast however to the somewhat dark crime novels that have emerged from Scandinavia in recent years. Why not read it?… (more)

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The Prophet and the Idiot (Profeten och idioten) by Jonas Jonasson is a novel telling of an absurd adventure of an astrophysicist, a rich widow, and a genius chef/moron going on a road trip. Mr. Jonasson is a best-selling Swedish author known for showing the absurdities of normalcy.

Petra, an astrophysicist, calculated that the world will be on 12 September 2011. No one believes her but a few days before “the end”, she meets Johan, an idiot and a self-taught master chef.

Johan’s plan is to go and punch his older, abusive brother before the world ends. Joined by Petra and Agnes, a rich widow, the three drive Johan’s mobile home across the globe.

This is the author’s sixth novel, and the ones I’ve read I always enjoyed. Like his other books, The Prophet and the Idiot by Jonas Jonasson (translated by Rachel Willson-Broyles) is an exciting romp involving international politics, fraud, corruption, the mafia, and throw in Barack Obama for good measure.

In true Jonasson manner, the book is well written, satirical, quirky, and a lot of fun to read. The first half is excellent, but I felt the second half fell flat when the schtick was up. It was not as funny, not as interesting. The theme of an ordinary person ending up in the middle of world politics gets lost amid the absurd chaos.

The book combines a fast narrative with humor, touching pop culture, and current events so almost everyone can be “in the know”. This makes the stories, regardless of the old clichés, something that many could enjoy.

This approach, as with many things in life, is both the strength and weakness of Mr. Jonasson’s books. Keeping up the fast pace for over 448 pages is tiring for both the author and readers. Absurd things are happening right after the other, and the novelty of an idiot doing idiotic things wears off after 200 or so pages.

Now, I have to go find some Västerbotten cheese to try.… (more)