Catch the Rabbit

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What to expect

'Two young women plunging into post-war Bosnia like two Alices into Wonderland . . . smart, energetic, passionate, announcing a major talent.' – Aleksandar Hemon

Sara hasn't seen or heard from her childhood best-friend, Lejla, in years. She's comfortable with her life in Dublin, with her partner, their avocado plant, and their naturist neighbour. But when Lejla calls and demands she come home to Bosnia, Sara finds that she can't say no.

What begins as a road trip becomes a journey through the past, as the two women set off to find Armin, Lejla's brother who disappeared towards the end of the Bosnian War. Presumed dead by everyone else, only Lejla and Sara believed Armin was still alive.

Confronted with the limits of memory, Sara is forced to reconsider the things she thought she understood as a girl: the best friend she loved, the first experiences they shared, but also the social and religious lines that separated them, that brought them such different lives.

Translated into English by Lana Bastašic, Catch the Rabbit tells the story of how we place the ones we love on pedestals, and then wait for them to fall off, how loss marks us indelibly, and how the traumas of war echo down the years.

Critics Review

Lana Bastašic’s novel of two young women plunging into post-war Bosnia like two Alices into Wonderland is smart, energetic, passionate, announcing a major talent.
Aleksandar Hemon
A confident, carefully-drawn portrait of female friendship in the fall-out of war. Bastašic has an eye for telling details which capture characters and readers alike.
Olivia Sudjic
Lewis Carroll meets Elena Ferrante in a Balkanized Wonderland.
Jasmina Vrbavac
Lana Bastašic . . . possesses a truly authentic narrative voice. Her storytelling is both mature and energetic, and she has set a very high literary standard with this first novel.
Dubravka Ugrešic
Lana Bastašic's novel Catch the Rabbit is perhaps the first major book to express some important truths about post-war Bosnia. This on-the-road story about two friends who set out in search of answers to the most important questions from their past will be a classic.
Semezdin Mehmedinovic
Stunning . . . built on themes of rediscovering the past, memories, women’s friendships, language, and identity. This unforgettable tour de force surprises at every turn.
Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Translated from Serbo–Croatian, this novel is often lyrical and arresting. Many descriptions are distinctive and sparkle as delivered in Cubric's graceful tone.
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