The Invoice
Author:
Jonas Karlsson
Translator:
Neil Smith
from the Swedish
Publisher:
Hogarth/PenguinRandomHouse
Release date:
7/12/2016
Pages:
204
ISBN:
978–1101905142
also available also as ebook
Genre:
Literary fiction
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MY THOUGHTS ABOUT THIS BOOK
I really enjoyed The Room, the previous book by the author and didn’t hesitate to see what he would do in The Invoice.
One day, the narrator receives a huge invoice from a mysterious W.R.D. It is so insanely high that he believes it to be either a fake or a mistake.It is neither.
He discovers more about it when remembered to pay a month later. As he inquires more information, the bill gets higher…
What’s the W.R.D.? Why is this invoice sent to a rather poor man, working part-time in a video shop? How is he going to pay?
I can’t tell you, but in the process, he will be led to rethink about all he has experienced since childhood and his attitude towards life.
I found the final message of the book to be excellent, and so important to remind people these days, when success is too often measured on the number of cars you own, and the number of square feet of your house(s).
However, I felt the book fell a bit flat in the last 2 chapters. After so much constant crescendo all along the book, it felt like a thriller, and then the end came as no surprise.
VERDICT: A feel good quick read reminding us what really counts in life.
WHAT IS IT ABOUT
Bjorn is a compulsive, exacting bureaucrat who discovers a secret room at the government office where he works–a secret room that no one else in his office will acknowledge. When Bjorn is in his room, what his coworkers see is him standing by the wall and staring off into space looking dazed, relaxed, and decidedly creepy. Bjorn’s bizarre behavior eventually leads his coworkers to try to have him fired, but Bjorn will turn the tables on them with help from his secret room.
Author Jonas Karlsson doesn’t leave a word out of place in this brilliant, bizarre, delightful take on how far we will go–in a world ruled by conformity–to live an individual and examined life.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
JONAS KARLSSON writes plays and short fiction.
One of Sweden’s most prominent actors,
Karlsson has performed on Sweden’s premier stage
and in several acclaimed feature films and television series.
In 2005, Karlsson made his debut as a playwright,
earning rave reviews from audience and critics alike.
Spurred by the joy of writing for the stage,
Karlsson began writing fiction.
DO YOU FEEL LIKE READING THIS BOOK?
What’s your favorite novel translated from the Swedish?
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