Book Review - The Answer Is No by Fredrik Backman

 

Lucas is happiest when he is on his own, eating Pad Thai and playing video games with nary a care in the world. 

However, a frying pan turns his world topsy-turvy. 

When a discarded frying pan is found outside the building where Lucas stays, the Board members of the building ring his doorbell, asking for his input and assistance to find out the culprit who threw the frying pan outside the premises. What starts as a simple investigation turns into a whole procedure where Lucas finds himself getting more and more involved with the residents of the building. 

The narrative is simple and brilliant with a gentle dose of good humor. The author's crisp style of narration keeps the reader engrossed in the story. 

The best part is the subtle change in the narrative as the story nears the end. What starts as a quirky investigation turns into something very beautiful and poignant as the residents of the building share snippets of their lives with Lucas and he unwittingly embraces the one thing he never thought he would - empathy. The last three to four chapters hit the reader where it hurts the most, and in a good way. 

This is a short story and when it ended, I really wanted more of this - more of Lucas and the quirky characters in the story. 

This is definitely a must-read, and I highly recommend this to people looking for light, casual, breezy yet poignant reads