The Extraordinary Journey Of The Fakir Who Got Trapped In An Ikea Wardrobe by French writer Romain Puertolas became a bestseller in France, translated now into 36 languages.
Can you resist this title? I didn't think so.
Yes, the Fakir travels from India to an Ikea outside Paris to buy a "Hertsyorbak" bed of nails - the 200 nail model instead of the 500, or 1500 nail model, which oddly are both cheaper, because who wants to assemble those 1500 nails into the bed?
Ajatashatru (whose name is comically mispronounced) takes a Gypsy airport taxi to the store and makes his first mistake by duping the driver out of the fare. The second mistake is staying in the store after closing and hiding in a wardrobe to avoid the staff. They of course, are shipping the wardrobe to England as is, because even they dislike assembling the furniture. So, the Fakir begins an intercontinental journey, meeting many groups of migrants fleeing several countries, in buses, trucks, boats, balloons... from England to Rome to Libya on his accidental tour he is accidentally on purpose pursued by the vengeful Gypsy taxi driver with his family on their holiday. Surprisingly, there is time for romance, and along the way a realization that who he was and how he lived are in the past - he can create a whole new future.
With many humorous books, this is not often laugh out loud funny, but certainly quirky and original! I will say there is also a strong current running underneath, of the torturous and often deadly journey migrants are making to flee their countries, sometimes paying smugglers who don't care if you arrive dead or alive, or are caught/detained/returned, as long as they get the fee to pack the boat or trailer. There is the serious reality of danger woven into this modern fairy tale, which was unexpected.
Entertaining - Don't think there's anything like it.
This was filmed in 2018, from France, but an international effort, that won best comedy film in Norway and Barcelona.
2013 (translated 2014) / Tradeback / 310 pages
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