Security settings within the organisation make true blogging responses difficult. However I am able to receive responses as an email and then I am able to post that response.
Here is one reader's response that I have received. Many thanks for sharing!
On first impression I would call this tale
'Kafka-esque' and in many ways this is a 21st century take on 'The Trial'
(first published in 1925); Karlsson' novella hits the same beats as Kafka's.
Both stories deal with a man in his thirties being prosecuted by an unknown,
remote authority for an absurdist 'crime' (in the case of Karlsson's book it's
being happy without paying for it) or something unknowable at all (Kafka's The
Trail). Both men are flirtatious with women who work with the totalitarian
authority (Josef K with Frau Montag, and Karlsson's character with Maud). The
same 'beats' of The Trial are seen in 'The Invoice'. However, the bleak ending
of The Trial is rewritten for 21st century audiences in the form of Karlsson's
character ...well...his final words certainly would not be 'Like a dog'.
Two questions that came up for me was what is the difference between assessment
and interrogation, and a tax/fee and a punishment/consequence? I suppose in many
ways little at all.
What surprises me is the central character of Karlsson's work does not question
the situation - isn't the happiness we create a product that we create, as
opposed to goods/services provided by a government? Shouldn't Karlsson's protagonist
be patenting his form of happiness rather than paying tax on it?
However in the 'real' world we truly do 'patent' and sell happiness - in the
form of commercials selling us products and the litany of 'self help' books. We
need only look at the mission statements of notable companies like Coke and
Pepsi that they strive to 'bottle happiness'. As per the log line on the front
page 'Can you put a price on happiness? One man is about to find out'. Well, in
the 21st century you can!
A theme I would have liked to explore more in Karlsson's book would be how
happiness is linked with shame. This is touched on with the romance between
Sunita and the protagonist. This small insight into Karlsson's main character
is the highlight of the novel yet falls flat when exploring the bigger picture
around secret pleasures. How many of us secretly enjoy watching Days of Our
Lives? Probably more than we admit.
Overall this is a nice little read on a rainy day. 6/10.
