The Year of the Hare by Arto Paasilinna

The Year of the Hare by Arto Paasilinna and an introduction by Pico Iyer is a classic that was wretten in 1975 (translated to English in 1995 - I think) and it is the best book find of the year for me.  This small book is one that fits right in with The Alchemist (Coehlo) and even the Odyssey, but it is a cold weather journey in Finland all the way to the Arctic Sea by a very unlikely set of friends - a journalist and a hare.

The rabbit is not a cartoon character, it is just a brown hare, yet the friendship sets up the conditions for the strange odyssey and the truth seeking that follows.  The journalist does what Kate recommended when I retired - he just walks away with his friend.  The adventures are contrasts, juxtapositions, and comparisons as the wanderers bump against the conventions of time, place, and culture. 

To wander is to be different and that difference can be a mirror that startles or it can be enlightening to those who encounter it.  There is more humor here than in The Alchemist and the Odyssey (although those monsters are a little weird when you try to picture them).

At the end you might ask - What was that all about? - but then all three books require that question.  Somethings that inspired the writer are still buried within the authors brain.  But thats okay.  Laugh, think, react, and let some of it stay a puzzle because the puzzle is what will keep the book in your mind.

Here is a good link for a summary of The Alchemist http://www.wikisummaries.org/The_Alchemist, The Odyssey
http://www.wikisummaries.org/The_Odyssey and The Year of the Hare http://www.bookpage.com/books-10014011-The-Year-of-the-Hare