Summary of The Year of the Hare
“The Year of the Hare” is a comic novel about a journalist who changes his life after accidentally hitting a hare with his car. He leaves behind his wife and career and sets out on a journey through the wild forests of Finland, with the hare as a companion.
Reasons to read The Year of the Hare
“The Year of the Hare” is a book filled with bizarre misadventures, balancing between humour and slapstick, while at the same time exploring the search for an authentic life. The novel became a bestseller in Finland and has been translated into thirty languages. “The Year of the Hare” remains Arto Paasilinna’s most popular work, though some of his other novels – such as “The Howling Miller”, set in Lapland – are arguably finer.
Setting: Finland
Novel set in Finland: “The Year of the Hare” is set in various locations across rural Finland, beginning in Heinola.
Original title: Jäniksen Vuosi
Year of publication: 1975
Nr of pages: 208
