{"product_id":"the-extraordinary-journey-of-the-fakir-who-got-trapped-in-an-ikea-wardrobe-isbn-9780804172080","title":"The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir Who Got Trapped in an Ikea Wardrobe","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe basis for the major motion picture \u003ci\u003eThe Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA charmingly exuberant comic debut, \u003ci\u003eThe Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir Who Got Trapped in an Ikea Wardrobe\u003c\/i\u003e is the globetrotting story of a trickster from rural India and his adventure of a lifetime.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen the fakir—a professional con artist—arrives in Paris, he has just one goal: to get to Ikea. Armed with only a counterfeit hundred-euro note in the pocket of his silk trousers, he is confident that he has all he needs to thrive. But his plan goes horribly awry when he hides inside a wardrobe at the iconic Swedish retailer—the first in a series of accidents that will send him on a whirlwind tour across Europe. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePursued across the continent by a swindled taxi driver dead set on revenge, our fakir soon finds unlikely friends—from movie stars to illegal immigrants—in even unlikelier places. And, much to his own surprise, his heart begins to open to those around him as he comes to understand the universal desire to seek a better life in an often dangerous world.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eChanneling the manic energy of the Marx Brothers and the biting social commentary of \u003ci\u003eCandide,\u003c\/i\u003eRomain Puértolas has crafted an unforgettable comic romp around Europe that is propelled by laughter, love, and, ultimately, redemption. (Meatballs not included but highly recommended.)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eINTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eWinner of the Grand Prix Jules Verne\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eFinalist for the Prix Renaudot\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“[A] comic strip of a novel. . . . Strewn with laugh-out-loud jokes.” —\u003ci\u003eThe New York Times Book Review\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A philosophical odyssey. By turns slapstick and serious.” —\u003ci\u003eThe Wall Street Journal\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “Entertaining and original.” —\u003ci\u003eMinneapolis Star Tribune\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A delightfully silly confection.” —\u003ci\u003eThe Seattle Times\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “Combines farce worthy of Laurel and Hardy with socio-political satire.” —\u003ci\u003eThe Washington Times\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Who would have thought that a comedy that mixes flat-pack furniture with magic could tackle some of the biggest subjects of our time? With a big heart, a brilliant sense of humour and an excellent translator, that’s what French writer Romain Puértolas achieves.” —\u003ci\u003eThe Independent \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “Full of quirky charm. . . . [A] hilarious and touching journey towards redemption and self-knowledge. Delightful.” —\u003ci\u003eThe Times\u003c\/i\u003e (London)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “As astonishing and original as its title—and disarming to boot. . . . Romain Puértolas has given us an amalgam that is both pointed in its social criticism and—dare it be said—charming enough to make Voltaire cringe. . . . It’s fable and it’s farce. It’s satire and it’s spoof. It’s brash and it’s stirring.” —\u003ci\u003eThe Anniston Star\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “Brilliant . . . A fable, a farce, but also and above all, a delicious satire of the modern world.” —\u003ci\u003eLe Figaro Magazine\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “A madcap romantic adventure. . . . Blessed with an energetic bonhomie that’s thoroughly endearing.” —\u003ci\u003eThe Mail on Sunday\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “A farcical tale with a dark underbelly. . . . A manic yet incisive satire.” —\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “Very funny.” —\u003ci\u003eDaily Mail\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “As heartfelt as it is original.” —\u003ci\u003eGQ \u003c\/i\u003e(UK)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “Wryly comic. . . . That rare beast: a novel full of heart and conscience that never takes itself too seriously.” —\u003ci\u003eThe Guardian\u003c\/i\u003e (UK)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “[A] quirky, hilarious, elegantly-written farce.” —\u003ci\u003eThe Daily Telegraph\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “Genuinely funny.” —\u003ci\u003eVogue\u003c\/i\u003e (UK)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “If you believe in zen and the art of flat pack furniture, this is the book for you.” —\u003ci\u003eSunday Express\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “As sprightly as it is funny. . . . [Puértolas] piles up the vivid scenes along with oodles of puns.” —\u003ci\u003eL’Express\u003c\/i\u003e (France)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “A manic fairy tale peppered with wry observations and social criticism. . . . It charms with its exuberance and satirical sensibility. . . . [Puértolas] delights in puns while satirizing consumerism and the capriciousness of the immigration system.” —Shelf AwarenessRomain Puértolas was born in Montpellier and has lived in France, Spain, and the U.K., where he has been a DJ, singer-songwriter, language teacher, translator-interpreter, and steward. He most recently worked as a police inspector with the French border service, specializing in document fraud. \u003ci\u003eThe Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir Who Got Trapped in an Ikea Wardrobe\u003c\/i\u003e was a number-one best seller in France and has been published in thirty-five countries.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ewww.romainpuertolas.comA fakir by trade, Ajatashatru Oghash (pronounced A­jar­of­rat­stew­oh­gosh!) had decided to travel incognito for his first trip to Europe. For this occasion, he had swapped his “uniform,” which consisted of a loincloth shaped like an enormous diaper, for a shiny gray suit and a tie rented for peanuts from Dilawar (pronounced Die, lawyer!), an old man from the village who had, during his youth, been a representative for a famous brand of shampoo, and who still had an impressive head of (graying) hair.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e In choosing this disguise, which he was to wear for both days of his trip, the fakir had secretly wished to be taken for a wealthy Indian industrialist—so much so that he had forsaken wearing comfortable clothes (i.e., a tracksuit and sandals) for the three-hour bus journey and a flight lasting eight hours and fifteen minutes. After all, pretending to be something he was not was his job: he was a fakir. He had kept only his turban, for religious reasons. Beneath it, his hair kept growing and growing. It was now, he estimated, about sixteen inches long, with a total population of thirty thousand (mostly germs and fleas).\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Getting into the taxi that day, Ajatashatru (pronounced A­cat­in­a­bat­suit) had immediately noticed that his peculiar get-up had produced the desired effect on the European, in spite of the tie, which neither he nor his cousin knew how to knot correctly, even after the perfectly clear but somewhat shaky explanations of Dilawar, who had Parkinson’s. But obviously this was a minor detail, as it had gone unnoticed amid the overwhelming elegance of his attire.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e A glance in the rearview mirror not being enough to contemplate such handsomeness, the Frenchman had actually turned around in his seat in order to better admire Ajatashatru, making the bones in his neck crack as he did so, as if he were preparing for an act of contortionism.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “Ikea?” \u003cbr\u003e “Ikeaaa.” \u003cbr\u003e “Lequel? Er . . . what Ikea?” the driver had\u003cbr\u003e stammered, apparently as comfortable speaking English as a (holy) cow on ice skates.\u003cbr\u003e “Just Ikea. Doesn’t matter. The one that best suits you. You’re the Parisian.”\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Smiling, the driver had rubbed his hands before starting the engine.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e The Frenchman has taken the bait, thought Ajatashatru (pronounced A­jackal­that­ate­you) with satisfaction. This new look was proving ideal for his mission. With a little luck, and if he didn’t have to open his mouth too much, he might even pass for a native.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Ajatashatru was famous throughout Rajasthan for swallowing retractable swords, eating broken glass made from zero-calorie sugar, stabbing his arms with fake needles, and a heap of other conjuring tricks, the secrets of which were known only to him and his cousins, and which he was happy to label magical powers in order to bewitch the masses.\u003cbr\u003e So, when the time came to pay the bill for the taxi ride, which amounted to €98.45, our fakir handed over the only money he had for his entire trip—a counterfeit €100 note printed on just one side—while nonchalantly gesturing to the driver that he could keep the change.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Just as the driver was sliding the note into his wallet, Ajatashatru created a diversion by pointing at the huge yellow letters that proudly spelled out I­K­E­A above the blue building. The gypsy looked up long enough for the fakir to pull nimbly on the invisible elastic that connected his little finger to the €100 note. A tenth of a second later, the money had returned to its original owner.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “Oh, I almost forgot,” said the driver, believing the note to be nestled safely within his wallet. “Let me give you my firm’s card. In case you need a taxi for the way back. We have vans as well, if you need. Believe me, even in flatpack form, furniture takes up a lot of space.”\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Gustave never knew if the Indian had under- stood any of what he had just told him. Rummaging in the glove compartment, he pulled out a laminated business card emblazoned with a flamenco dancer and handed it to him.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Merci,” said the foreigner.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e When the red Mercedes of Gypsy Taxis had disappeared—although the fakir, who was only used to making small-eared Indian elephants disappear, could not claim to be responsible—Ajatashatru slipped the card into his pocket and contemplated the vast commercial warehouse that stretched out in front of him.A Novel","brand":"Vintage","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46304770949349,"sku":"NP9780804172080","price":17.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780804172080.jpg?v=1767739253","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/the-extraordinary-journey-of-the-fakir-who-got-trapped-in-an-ikea-wardrobe-isbn-9780804172080","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}