Catch the Rabbit

I had to read first few pages of Catch The Rabbit twice before I grasped its perspective shift and I was occasionally briefly confused by time jumps during the course of this intense novel, but once I got into my reading stride, I found the story to be compelling. Lana Bastašic has a beautifully poetic way with words that gives an almost otherworldly dimension to her prose and I felt it worked particularly well with this darkly mysterious roadtrip novel. Catching up with other reviews after having finished it, I discovered that Catch The Rabbit was heavily influenced by Lewis Carroll's Alice In Wonderland. I didn't pick up on this at the time (in fact, I'm not even sure if I've ever read that classic other than in an abridged Ladybird format although I do love the ballet adaptation).

Bastašic has created a memorable female friendship in the relationship between Sara and Lejla exploring particularly how childhood memories can be distorted over time. Sara's memories are frequently at odds with Lejla's leaving me wondering whether one woman was deliberately lying to the other - and, if so, which - or if both were simply remembering their own truths. Sara's history of almost hero-worshipping Lejla all those years ago gives her an uncomfortable perspective now. From my reader's point of view, I didn't feel that Lejla had actually changed all that much, whereas Sara's different situation and adult understanding leads her to see Lejla's actions and motivations in a new light. I loved this complicated portrayal.