Hitman Anders and the Meaning of It All

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I like it, and it makes me feel a little more stoic whilst reading, even whilst I imagine it may offend or bewilder some other readers. not that it's impossible to be named Per Persson or, for that matter, Jonas Jonasson, but some might find it monotonous" - and a brief summary of the life and misfortunes of our titular Hitman, Johan Andersson.

And then he meets a receptionist at a 1-star hotel and a female Protestant vicar who happens to be an atheist. When they go to live cheaply on an island in Gotland and wreak environmental havoc in the process, they lose all remaining appeal. I’d not previously read any of Jonasson’s books, but as this was on offer on Kindle I thought I’d dive in.Whilst a lot of the things that I loved in Jonasson's other novels were present - quirky personalities, happy coincidences and a lot of heart - the moral compass of this tale was way off. This dearth of story development, coupled with characters who - while initially pleasingly odd - aren't particularly loveable or even interesting, meant the story failed to grip me. the orginal title of the book is Hitman Anders and His Friends, but I must say i like the translation title better, and i like the translation as much as i like Johansson's way of narrating everything, it is so objectively subjective, so pleasantly familiar ans surprising, so overwhelmingly simple, and so elaborately complicated. This book has a very similar humor as was in The Hundred Year Old Man, but somehow the scale of it is much smaller. This book is written in the detached ironic tone which will be familiar to readers of The 100-Yr-Old Man.

The characters are all so morally corrupt, that no matter how much good they try to do, it always left me with a bad taste in my mouth. He is the author of The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared, The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden and Hitman Anders and the Meaning of it All. Together they cook up an idea for an enterprising venture involving Swedish gangsters that is set to make them all a fortune--until, all of a sudden and to everyone's surprise, Anders finds Jesus. Once I'd accepted that Jonas Jonasson was narrating the tale as would someone versed in the oral tradition of storytelling, and I got into the rhythm of it, then the novel grew on me. Conniving, imaginative, quick-witted and vindictive, the priest is easily the most fascinating and enjoyable of the trio - with the Hitman a simple foil, and the receptionist an out-of-his-depth sidekick for the bulk of the story - but this is nevertheless an ensemble piece: the very traits that make the priest the stand-out, and most proactive character of the group are also what make her incapable of coping on her own.This episode is at least mitigated by some entertaining supporting characters who are themselves no saints. Hitman Anders isn’t reflective literary fiction, or a textbook on psychology and social problems: it's a silly comic novel with [anti-]heroes readers need more reasons to root for. So after one pleasant surprise followed low expectations, I anticipated that I’d like book number three just as much. Quirky and fun, it’s very much about the characters and how they react to each other rather than the plot that lagged at times.

But when their money-making scheme targets well-meaning churchgoers, they become much less appealing. I found myself thinking about Andrey Kurkov’s novels about how fucked up life in Ukraine is, and Ryu Murakami’s books In the Miso Soup and Audition, and wishing that Hitman Anders was on a par. I started with The 100 Year Old Man, followed by Hitman Anders and finished with The Girl who Saved The King of Sweden. They even learn to be more environmentally friendly, as well as more frugal and less grasping without practical justification.Hitman Anders has been having a problem with drugs and alcohol most of his life, making him quite violent and earning him a few prison sentences. I know, it's supposed to make it sound oh so clever and all, but it just annoys me to no end because it sounds pretentious to me. I think the aim is supposed to be black humour, but black humour only really works if you feel something for its subjects. The story is a commentary on the violence of modern life, from the psychological violence of growing up with an alcoholic parent who rejects you and sets the benchmark for your misanthropy to the actual violence of being an alcoholic pill popper whose tendency to violence while under the influence leads you to become a hitman. Even so it works on the same principle, a certain kind of "unusual" heroes, and a wildly improbable plot.

The honour within the book is at times laugh out loud funny and is certainly having a go at the Catholic religion. Never heard a sentiment like that uttered before… Criticising Christianity is so passé these days – aren’t we over this yet? If that sounds odd then that's because the book is odd, wonderfully so with quirky characters and a plot that despite its absurdities carries the reader from page to page, a smile never far from his/her face. Né l'assassino, né il portiere né il prete riescono a portarti dalla loro parte, almeno non ci sono riusciti con me, e la storia si trascina.Anders' sudden interest in religion might be good for his soul but it's not good for business, and the vicar and the receptionist have to find a new plan, quick.