A review by bent
The Beggar & the Hare by Tuomas Kyrö

2.0

Although I didn't mind this book, it didn't blow me away. It reminded me of other books and movies, Forrest Gump most vividly, where the protagonist is a bit of a naif and wonders from situation to situation, his actions serving to comment on society. When the protagonist, Vatanescu thinks and speaks, Kyrö shows this by italicizing his speech/thoughts. This unfortunately reminded me of Paul Stanley's whiny inner voice in his autobiography where the italics served the same purpose, and may have contributed to my not fully becoming invested in this book. I also had a problem with Vatanescu's original occupation as part of a ring of beggars. He lives like a beggar and splits the little he makes with the organization that has arranged it, having almost nothing for himself. I didn't understand why he would sign on to this as it seems like he'd do better off if he just took to the streets and begged.

There were some enjoyable moments in the book, but overall, I didn't think it was as clever as I feel Kyrö did when writing it. You always wonder if a novel loses something once it's been dragged through translation. In any event, an OK read, but nothing special.