The Answer is No

Fredrik Backman will always have a place on my bookshelf. Some of his books easily make my Favourite Books of All Time list - A Man Called Ove and the Beartown series to name a couple.

The Answer is No is a short story that I snagged from Amazon First Reads. It's a quick and quirky 68 page read with Backman's signature humour and heart. This time out, there's a bit less of each, but this story about an introvert who just wants to be left alone (but has neighbours who think otherwise) was still a fun, satiric and heartwarming read that gave me a couple of chuckles and some food for thought.

Disclaimer: Sincere thanks to the Amazon First Reads program for giving me a complimentary digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

My Rating: 3.5 stars

Author: Fredrik Backham

Genre: Short Story

Type and Source: ebook from Amazon First Reads

Publisher: Amazon Original Stories

First Published: December 1, 2024

Read: November 7, 2024

Book Description from GoodReads: In a hilarious short story from New York Times bestselling author Fredrik Backman, the absurdities of modern life cause one man’s solitary world to spin suddenly, and comically, out of control.

Lucas knows the perfect night entails just three things: video games, wine, and pad thai. Peanuts are a must! Other people? Not so much. Why complicate things when he’s happy alone?

Then one day the apartment board, a vexing trio of authority, rings his doorbell. And Lucas’s solitude takes a startling hike. They demand to see his frying pan. Someone left one next to the recycling room overnight, and instead of removing the errant object, as Lucas suggests, they insist on finding the guilty party. But their plan backfires. Colossally.

Told in Fredrik Backman’s singular witty style with sharply drawn characters and relatable antics, The Answer Is No is a laugh-out-loud portrait of a man struggling to keep to himself in a world that won’t leave him alone.