Review: Short story: "The Answer Is No" by Frederik Backman

The Answer Is No by Frederik Backman, translated by Elizabeth Denoma
Published December 2024 via Amazon Original Stories

Lucas's solitary, orderly life is turned upside-down when someone leaves a frying pan outside the building's recycling room, and the building board comes a-calling. And things only get stranger from there...

This makes for a whimsical, absurdist read—and by midway through the story, one can't really blame Lucas for wanting to close himself away from his neighbors and the rest of the world. Go into this expecting common sense and you will be sorely disappointed, but...perhaps go in expecting common sense anyway, as that will keep things more interesting.

Just to be clear: It's not that Lucas hates other people. He just really enjoys being where other people aren't. He works well in groups as long as it's groups of fewer than two people. (loc. 67)

Sometimes people are enough to make a person want to investigate the sort of coma the green-shirt woman has, aren't they?

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.