The Invoice by Jonas Karlsson

What if all of the experiences of your life were billed? This is the conceit of Jonas Karlsson's new novella. You must pay for the good experiences and the common privileges you have received. However your bad experiences are deducted from that total.

When the our hero receives an invoice in the mail, he doesn't know that it's about to make him question everything about his life. The protagonist ventures out and grows close to someone and seems to ask himself, 'Can I truly be happy even though I have not achieved much? Was I ever happy at all?'

I really loved the Room by Karlsson and was surprised to find I love this fable even more. The message is not subtle, but it's still fun to read.

Uncomfortable but important

Awad is very skilled at making the reader inhabit Elizabeth's world. This book is about her relationships and how her weight has affected those relationships, whether it's her mother, husband or a shop clerk.

One particular highlight of the book is Awad's description of the late 90s early 2000s and her ability to write about not just the important relationships in Elizabeth's life, but the passing relationships.