If it hadn’t been for the horses, none of what happens in Jonas Jonasson’s hilarious reversal of fortune novel, Algot, Anna Stina, and the Water of Life. One could also say that, if it weren’t for the greed of Count and Countess Bielkegren, none of what happens in this book would’ve happened. And, when you think about it, nothing would’ve happened if it hadn’t been for Algot’s pragmatism and attention to the fine print, Anna Stina and her father’s creative interpretations of the law, and the help of a lawyer who never forgot who was kind and who was rude to him. This book is beautifully translated by Rachel Willson-Broyles, who not only tackled the Swedish of the original but also Jonasson’s droll humor.
After the Countess has Algot and his father turned off their land and the Count assigns Algot to the worst plot on his land, Algot uses his father’s still to start producing brännvin. It’s illegal to sell brännvin without a (nearly impossibly to get) license. But out in the country of Aringsås parish (SE), in very rural Småland, there aren’t many people willing to enforce the law. Algot uses the potatoes abandoned in his field for alcohol and sells to the ever-thirsty railway workers who are building the first railroads through Småland. It would’ve been a good plan if Count Bielkegren hadn’t tried to evict Algot entirely, in an effort to conceal how he and his wife stole the Olsson’s land in the first place.
Things just escalate from there. And I can’t adequately describe what happens in this book because a bare recitation of the plot would strip all of the charm out of this book. Jonasson packs this book with repeated jokes (I howled at the long running joke about Anna’s carrot patch) and snarky comments about the pompous villains. I’m glad I was home alone while I read this because I would’ve annoyed the hell out of anyone in the room with me with my snorting and chuckling. If I thought my friends and family could’ve stood it, I would’ve read whole parts of this book out loud to them. And that’s not to mention the adorable relationship between Algot and Anna Stina, or the astonishing way that everything turns out to be relevant in the deeply satisfying conclusion to this novel.
Fellow readers, I cannot say enough good things about this amazingly funny novel. If nothing else, won’t you consider reading a book in which the poor underdogs have their revenge on the greedy rich in these trying times?
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley for review consideration.