Rudy wants to be a doctor, and more than that, he wants to be the best. As a fourth year med student about to start a clerkship, he is certain that he has his future planned to perfection. However, when dealt a last minute change in his placement, Rudy begins to face the idea that sometimes life doesn’t run exactly as planned. Immersed in the eye-opening reality of a pediatric oncology ward, he begins to doubt his plans for the first time. Instead of the studying he expected to get done, Rudy soon finds himself learning lessons about life and humanity that could never be taught from a book.

Chasing Rabbits, by Rodolfo Del Toro, is a book that is by equal turns both uplifting and heartbreaking. Del Toro, who is a physician himself, vividly depicts the stark realities of the oncology unit with unflinching authenticity and drives the story forward by doing so. Although Rudy is the narrator, the children are easily the strongest characters, written with a depth and maturity that reflect the acceptance of their own mortality. In contrast, the adults seem to lack a similar depth.

If this book could be said to have a theme, it would be one of gratitude, learning to feel it and learning to embrace it. Rudy, and the others on the medical staff, quickly learn the importance of embracing the moments and people who matter most. The book leans heavily on the idea that children are far more wise than the adults around them, but does so in such an endearing and well-written way that never feels trite. There is a fine balance between expressing that idea well and taking it to the point of absurdity–Del Toro finds that balance. 

I simply could not put this book down and became deeply invested in these children and their lives. Del Toro has created them as wonderfully sympathetic and empathetic little beings who absolutely stole the show from Rudy and every other adult in the book. Chasing Rabbits, by Rodolfo Del Toro, was delightfully wholesome and enjoyable.

Pages: 222 | ASIN: ‎ B085X4S7QT