A review by unapologetic_reviews
The Answer is No by Fredrik Backman

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The Answer is No is a short story by Fredrik Backman. It was translated by Elizabeth DeNoma from Swedish. So, this guy is a famous author, and I've never read any of his books because I normally don't read contemporary novels. But this just came out in December, and I saw it as a recommendation. I needed one last book to make my book count, which is only 20, mind you. It's 68 pages, and it was the end of December, so I was like, "Okay, let's give this a shot." The description said it's funny.

I was actually pleasantly surprised by this short story. It talked about the absurdities of modern life in a very intelligent —and also funny way. I chuckled out loud several times while reading this. I also loved how it just started from one little event, and that led into this whole chain of events that culminated in the main character being in a different, but also very similar, space in the end. That was very interesting.

The main character is called Lucas, and he lives in an apartment. He doesn't really like to interact with anyone—not his neighbors, his colleagues, basically no one. He's forced out of his shell by a series of events that make him realize some things about life, the world, and his own life. It's very short, so just read it.

As to whether this is my entry to Fredrik Backman's stories—probably not, because while I enjoyed this, I don't think I could take more than 68 pages of a contemporary story of this style. There are some of his books that were made into movies and a couple serieses. I may check those out, though I'm not that keen on them. I’ll see what the future holds.