This book was exactly what I needed right now. It was heartwarming and hilariously funny in equal measure. Lucas is a bit of a grump and a complete loaner. All he wants is to be left alone to play video games and eat pad thai, and that's exactly what he does until someone leaves a frying pan on the floor next to the recycling room…and then all hell breaks loose for Lucas.

The characters were caricatures in the best way possible. I loved how Lucas identified everyone by their clothing colours. The antics of the board animal and the other residents reminded me of old comedy sketches like Abbott and Costello’s Who's on First. What an excellent pallet cleanser this short story was. I highly recommend it to anyone who needs a good laugh at the moment. All. The. Stars.

Oh, I love the way Fredrik Backman writes about life and relationships with other people. There is just so much care and understanding in his works, even if they sometimes do tend to get a little odd. I know his humor is a little weird but it really fits my sense of humor; especially reading the e-book with the audiobook narration. The narrator really delivered the lines in the best way.

I'd say this one is the one that the side characters feel more like caricatures than in other previous books in how they act and especially react. But between the weirdness, there is so much to read and to feel. Fredrik Backman is a master in crafting engaging characters that make us feel the best feelings even when touched with a little sadness. He makes the points of the book so effortlessly and beautifully (I think there are some but I really liked the one about needing a break).

I really enjoyed following Lucas; it was fun following the only "sane" character and slowly understanding what really "other people" mean in his life. And I really liked the story with the woman in the purple dress and the woman with the green shirt.

Thank you Netgalley, author, and publisher for the ARC.

Fredrik Bachman’s stories are filled with quirky characters, some of them initially grumpy or lonely, but, always in the end, delightful. In this short story we meet Lucas who sort of runs afoul of his apartment board members when they are looking for the person who abandoned a frying pan outside the building. He doesn’t know, but that doesn’t mean he can just shut his door — soon he’s the President of the Pile Committee and the frying pan has collected new friends to the point that there’s a junk “hill” instead of a lonely pan.

I won’t write more except to say that you’ll end the story of Lucas and the junk pile with a big smile — something Bachman can always coax out of the reader. 5 stars!


Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): NO No mentions of green eyes, but lots of green shirts.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO We never get to know what kind of tree the board decides on the commemorate the pile.

Thank you to Amazon Publishing and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy!

Fredrik Backman writes the best characters and he did it again in this novella. His characters were so relatable and funny! I definitely need to pick up stone more of his books!

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for providing an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review. The Answer is No is currently available for purchase.

Lucas is happily living a life in solitude. He lives life his way and enjoys his daily routines. The best part of all is not having to deal with people. Until one day, it all comes crashing down over a frying pan. Lucas now finds himself forced into helping his neighbors. He refuses to learn the names of his neighbors and refers to them as “green shirt” and “purple dress.” Will his neighbors just ever let him be? Can’t they see that he wants nothing to do with this?

I love Fredrik Backman’s writing style. I especially love the quirky characters he creates. This short story made me laugh out loud as simple, everyday situations were blown way out of proportion. Fredrik Backman did an excellent job at capturing humanity and what it truly means to be happy. After all, saying no might be the answer to happiness. 5/5⭐️

“I’m . . . No expert. But I think most people who want to be happy try to add things to their lives. But really what maybe they should be doing is taking something away.”

“Just to be clear: It’s not that Lucas hates other people. He just really enjoys being where other people aren’t.”

The Answer is No is a funny little story about Lucas, a very solitary man. He has a remote job so that he doesn't have to interact with other people, he gets his pad thai delivered so he doesn't have to interact with other people, and he likes to play video games where he doesn't have to interact with other people. One day he answers a knock at his door to find the apartment board there who try to enlist his help figuring out who left a perfectly good frying pan on the ground next to the recycling room rather than taking it to the dump. The next day there is another knock at his door and Lucas is introduced to two of his neighbors, shattering his self-imposed isolation.

This was a very fun short story in the vein of Anxious People by Backman. The situations are a little bit absurd and quite funny to read about. Lucas was a cute, slightly misanthropic character who learns to tolerate his neighbors. The other characters were a bit ridiculous and over the top, but in a fun way. This is a good one for fans of Backman or anyone looking for a lighthearted, quick read.

3.5⭐️ As a chronic people pleaser this book was inspirational for me. I aspire to be like Lucas and be able to tell people No and to enjoy my alone time doing things I enjoy like reading.
Backman’s stories are always quirky in a sweet and teachable kind of way. I can’t wait to read more of his book, since this was only my second.

This was a fun short story that is a good reminder to say no and it also made me crave pad thai. Thank you net galley and publisher for this ARC.

This book is absolutely hilarious! I was screenshotting lines in this book and sending them to friends which I rarely do when reading a book. This book is just over 60 pages long so it is a super quick read which I enjoyed. I think Lucas is so similar to my younger brother who just wants to play video games, have food delivered to his door, & to be left alone!

My favorite quotes:
"Because Lucas's research into human relationships on TV has led him to conclude that love is between two people: One just wants to sit down, and the other one gets stressed out by that. One person is looking for a chair and the other one is looking for a project. Then they get married.” - this is so my marriage lol

“Therefore, to avoid your neighbors, you have to make yourself uninteresting, but not too uninteresting, because that makes you interesting.”

“Then Head One stares at Lucas so viciously that the hairs on Lucas's arms stand up, and then the head says the absolute most terrifying thing a grown man in an apartment building can ever hear: "You know, we are always looking for new board members."
Head Two nods enthusiastically…”

Definitely add this to books you need to read, I loved it!

This was a lovely short story with a lot of humour and character to it. The plot and characters were over the top at times which wasn’t quite for me but was really charming. I can’t imagine this story without that element and it made it a fun, light hearted read. There were also some sweet and insightful moments near the end that reigned in the craziness of this story without feeling too out of place

This is my first Backman read and while it wasn’t fully my thing, it does still make me want to check out his other books

As an introvert who would rather throw herself on the floor to hide, than open the door to an unannounced visitor, I thoroughly enjoyed The Answer is No! It might take a somewhat shy or socially awkward person to fully enjoy it, but if you like the sense of humor in Backman's other books, this is that taken to the wonderfully ridiculous. The observations of human behavior, social phenomena (like neighbors!), and relatable thoughts are on point, as are the hilarious descriptions of seemingly irrelevant details that tell you everything you need to know about a person.

This story is about Lucas, who prefers to be alone, play video games and eat Pad Thai (with peanuts, as it should be). He could live in the woods, to avoid people even more, but it's hard to get Pad Thai delivered there. So he lives in an apartment. One day, there is a knock on the door. Someone has left a frying pan by the bins, and the board is here to investigate. Lucas makes the mistake of opening the door and interacting with said board, and what follows can only be described as disaster. Really funny disaster. And as always with Backman's stories, there are some heartfelt moments in there too.

I was chuckling from the first chapter and crying with laughter not long after that. Some of it probably from relief that it didn't happen to me.

I love Fredrik Backman's writing as he perfectly captures the human spirit in his humorous books, and this novella was no different. It features a man who is happy to be left alone and the many people who come to his door and bother him--all over a frying pan!

This story was absolutely hilarious and ridiculous the entire time and made me laugh throughout. Backman's comedic take on the world and his embodiment of the spectrum of human emotions were perfectly captured again, which was impressive in such a short novella. I think this is a great addition for Backman lovers and a great entryway to Backman's writing for new readers alike.

So i think was the perfect story for me to read... funny and a little bittersweet at the same time. Even with the humorous tone, lots of interesting observations about people, loneliness, and bureaucracy. This was my first introduction to Backman but I think I need to read more now, loved the writing style! (also, Lucas is incredibly real)

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thank you to NetGalley for the arc!

“It’s a frying pan that ruins Lucas’s life.”

This begins The Answer is No, a delightful short story from Fredrick Backman. You don’t have to live with a residents’ Board of Directors or Homeowners Association to recognize misused authority. A frying pan, left outside the apartment recycling room, begins a slow chain of events that bring happy introvert Lucas into the world of apartment life. As the pile of unwanted items grows, so do his interactions with neighbors, city bureaucracy, Facebook groups and the three members of the Board. Lucas’s clever thought process eventually leads to a solution for the pile and a possibly different way to live life. Crisp writing and detailed characterization combine in a short story this is a quick and hilarious read. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Amazon Original Stories and Fredrick Backman for this SRC.

Synopsis: “The Answer Is No” by Fredrik Backman is a humorous short story that follows the misadventures of introvert Lucas, a frying pan and the absurdity of bureaucracy.

While I own four of Backman’s books, this is my first reading of his — and I loved it. It was a great introduction to his work. I thoroughly enjoyed Backman’s witty writing, sharp observations and quirky characters.

Thank you to #NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for an advanced reader copy of #TheAnswerIsNo.

❝Being smart is the worst thing one can be in modern society. All it ever means is more work.❞

The Answer is No - Fredrik Backman
★★★★☆

Thank you Netgalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review!

As an introvert myself, i can totally relate to Lucas in this piece about definition of happiness which can be different depends on the person. The gap between them is a problem, it's just a matter of perspective, mindset, and lifestyle. Backman showed that there's no such thing as right or wrong in this topic and you can't just force your ideal to other people most of all if they don't asked for it. It truly bothered me when everybody just force something onto Lucas' face and he had no control to counter it when he actually has right to accept or decline. A nightmare, really.

'The Answer is No' is a witty, infuriating, perfect, eye-opening short read for those who are people pleaser and afraid to draw a line and say 'no' frankly, you'll need this!

The Answer is No was a very quick, funny read about a dysfunctional apartment building and a problematic pile of junk. I'm sure someone smarter than me could do some very interesting literary analysis about society, groups of people in power, bureaucratic inefficiency, and happiness, but I had fun and it was great to read some of Backman's signature style.

I've been wanting to pick up a Fredrik Backman book for AGES and I was actually so excited to see this was included in the kindle first reads this month. If this is a precursory glimpse into his standard writing, I will absolutely be shifting his books up in my TBR this winter.

This was funny, witty, and an interesting little dive into humans and how they, well, human lol. It's short but was packed with humorous moments that actually made me laugh out loud and resonated pretty deep for a short novella.

I rounded up to 5 because I just adored it.

The Answer is No is a new short story from Fredrik Backman.
“Lucas just wants to be left alone but the apartment board (HOA) won’t stop asking about his frying pan and someone keeps taking his Pad Thai and now he’s in charge of the pile that has accumulated outside the apartment. He just wants to stay behind his door and be left alone. How did this happen?”

Even though it’s a short story there are still great people observations from Backman. He rails on the ridiculousness of bureaucracy and how often people ignore a simple solution. And how some people do not want to be left alone and will do anything to connect. I loved the Ove Easter Egg.
This was a November First Read.

3.5 rounded up.

“The Answer is No” follows Lucas, a proud loner, and the story of how a frying pan “ruined his life.”

If this premise sounds intriguing to you, you’re in for a weird, delightful little ride. This is a short and sweet story you can finish in one sitting. It’s about happiness, neighbors, following rules, and breaking rules. It has Backman’s simple, but effective writing style which truly conveys how we’re all humans trying our best.

At the surface, this book reads like an odd fever dream. A lot happens, and it’s not at all grounded in reality in terms of the major plot developments. In fact, it veers very close to slapstick territory most of the time. This wasn’t my favorite Backman, but I can appreciate its fun nature, and it didn’t waste my time. Pick this up if you want something quick and easy in between holiday mayhem, or if you want a heartwarming story that might make you giggle. “The Answer is No” follows Lucas, a proud loner, and the story of how a frying pan “ruined his life.”

If this premise sounds intriguing to you, you’re in for a weird, delightful little ride. This is a short and sweet story you can finish in one sitting. It’s about happiness, neighbors, following rules, and breaking rules. It has Backman’s simple, but effective writing style which truly conveys how we’re all humans trying our best.

At the surface, this book reads like an odd fever dream. A lot happens, and it’s not at all grounded in reality in terms of the major plot developments. In fact, it veers very close to slapstick territory most of the time. This wasn’t my favorite Backman, but I can appreciate its fun nature, and it didn’t waste my time. Pick this up if you want something quick and easy in between holiday mayhem, or if you want a heartwarming story that might make you giggle.