Rabbit, RunRabbit, Run
Score Classic
What it's about
Harry 'Rabbit' Angstrom, a former high school basketball star, is twenty-six and on an impulse deserts his wife and young son. A man-child torn between instinct and duty, desire and family, he believes he's on a path toward his own salvation, even as his flight leaves damage behind.
Why it's worth reading
It's on TIME's list of the 100 best novels, and its sequels won two Pulitzer Prizes. It's the start of one of the great American novel cycles.
You'll love it if you liked
Revolutionary Road
American Pastoral
The Great GatsbyGood to know
Rabbit is not likable, and the book is frank about sex. It's the first of four Rabbit novels.
By the numbers
- Readers0 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics100 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller50 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #159 of the 309 literary novels we rank
- #400 of the 762 classics we rank
- #1360 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Thought-provoking
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Breakfast of Champions
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Quick answers
Is Rabbit, Run worth reading?
Yes. It's on TIME's list of the 100 best novels, and its sequels won two Pulitzer Prizes. It ranks #1,360 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 69.5 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Rabbit, Run about?
Harry 'Rabbit' Angstrom, a former high school basketball star, is twenty-six and on an impulse deserts his wife and young son. A man-child torn between instinct and duty, desire and family, he believes he's on a path toward his own salvation, even as his flight leaves damage behind.
How long does it take to read Rabbit, Run?
About 8 hours (336 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What awards has Rabbit, Run won?
Pulitzer Prize for Fiction winner (1991, for Rabbit at Rest); Pulitzer Prize for Fiction winner (1982, for Rabbit Is Rich); National Book Award (Fiction) winner (1982, for Rabbit Is Rich).
What should I read after Rabbit, Run?
If you liked it, try Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates, American Pastoral by Philip Roth or The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.