The Year of the Hare

Arto Paasilinna
translated by Herbert Lomas

Escape from life - you could have some interesting adventures. That's what Vatanen did.

Vatanen, a journalist, is returning to Helsinki with his friend, a photographer. When a young hare jumps in front of the car and is injured, Vatanen rescues it. But he doesn't return to the car. After waiting and shouting a while, his friend finally gets tired of being ignored. He drives off, leaving Vatanen to care for the injured animal. Vatanen isn't upset his friend has left.

Instead, Vatanen puts a splint on the hare's leg, then puts it in his pocket. He starts walking. He leaves his wife and job back in Helsinki. He starts walking north. He sees a vet and obtains a permit to keep a wild animal. The hare stays close and attached, like a dog does. The two are off to see Finland without any pressures or cares.

Vatanen is himself a quirky character when he starts his journey. He meets quirkier ones along the way. He gets involved in fighting the worst forest fire Finland has seen in years. He rehabs a hunting cabin up in the Arctic Circle. He eludes his wife and employer when they try to bring him back to his old life. He attends a state dinner with ambassadors from other countries. He rides in a helicopter. He learns new conspiracy theories about the government. He herds cows - not very well either. He meets a bear who would like to eat him. Vatanen may have a quieter, less pressured life, but it still is quite busy!

Arto Paasilinna uses The Year of the Hare for us to laugh at ourselves. For example, he gets stuck in a bog because he thought he'd be smarter than the person who gave him directions around it. When he is on the road and can't find a place to stay, he'll settle into a barn for the night. He has to watch out for the things he could find in those barns. Another time he watches the Finnish army run maneuvers against - nothing. This is done to impress some bigwigs. Vatanen's only constant is the hare. The hare won't leave him and he won't leave the animal.

I thoroughly enjoyed myself with The Year of the Hare. I laughed out loud a number of times - the most when Vatanen meets the patriarch of a farming family a bit too late.

To crown off the book Paasilinna provides the irony of Vatanen's life in the final chapter. What one man can do during his freedom can look very different to others.

The Year of the Hare is a short book first published in the mid-1970's. People are funny and unpredictable. Paasilinna uses keen observations to keep the reader entertained while taking a close look at society. Check it out.