Raising Hare

JILL'S PICK

I sought this book out because it was recently recommended by an author I adore, Sigrid Nunez. I loved her novel The Friend deeply (no, I haven't seen the movie), and I adore one of her other recommendations, the novel Brian.

I read Raising Hare in two sittings over a rainy weekend. In Brit Dalton's warm and beautifully written memoir, the author finds a baby hare on her daily Covid-times walk and, presuming it abandoned, instinctively shelters it in her home. The book chronicles the relationship that develops over many years. Dalton's keen observational skills and the sensitivity of her writing make this an utter joy to read.

Added bonus: the cutest endpapers!  -JTS

Imagine you could hold a baby hare and bottle-feed it. Imagine that it lived under your roof and lolloped around your bedroom at night, drumming on the duvet cover when it wanted your attention. Imagine that, over two years later, it still ran in from the fields when you called it and snoozed in your house for hours on end. This happened to me.

When lockdown led busy professional Chloe to leave the city and return to the countryside of her childhood, she never expected to find herself custodian of a newly born hare. Yet when she finds the creature, endangered, alone and no bigger than her palm, she is compelled to give it a chance at survival.

Raising Hare chronicles their journey together and the challenges of caring for the leveret and preparing for its return to the wild. We witness an extraordinary relationship between human and animal, rekindling our sense of awe towards nature and wildlife. This improbable bond of trust serves to remind us that the most remarkable experiences, inspiring the most hope, often arise when we least expect them.

Hardcover | 304 pages | 6.26" x 8.66"