I may have overrated this story, but I'm a Fredrik Backman fan since I have read almost all of his books. I love how this author looks at life, in general, with sarcasm, wit, a dash of bitterness, and a bit of good hope all thrown into the stew. I also appreciate his compassion and acceptance of our humanly ways, very much.

"The Answer is No," his short novella or long story, 68 print pages to be exact, reflects all that, except the ending of the plot with Lucas's compromise made me feel a bit uneasy, but this is my flaw, not the author's. This may be because I grew to like Lucas as he was in the beginning.

Truth is, the main character Lucas is a grumpy loner. He is quite happy with playing video games and Pad Thai with extra peanuts. He is his own best friend and wants to be left alone, and who can blame a person who gets along so well with himself! Surely, the world will butt in to rock the boat, and that is what happens in the story.

The turning point has to do with a frying pan left on the ground, and for that reason, a committee of characters, caricatures but so well-drawn, comes to Lucas's door one day. Then, the real action, hilarious though somewhat annoying and far-out, starts for Lucas.

I enjoyed reading this story a lot since it made fun of bureaucracy and just about everything else in a life. The author's humor is a big bonus, in addition to his keen insight into the ways we people are. Also, his easy ways of telling a story felt so authentic for they held my attention from the beginning to the end.

Passing a good half-hour or more and enjoying the craft and originality of its author

The wit, the keen insight, and the exaggeration of simple things in life.

that the main character somewhat ended up compromising who he was.

is Fredrik Backman who is also the author of A Man Called Ove, My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry, Britt-Marie Was Here, Beartown, Us Against You, and others...

I like how he writes, the way he explains complex things with the simplest words and ways.

Interested in buying this? Support Writing.Com by making your purchase of The Answer Is No: A Short Story   from Amazon.Com!

Created Jan 27, 2025 at 1:08pm • Submit your own review...