Aoife Cassidy McM's Reviews > Raising Hare: A Memoir

This extraordinary book took my breath away at times. It's more than a memoir, it's a masterful reflection on the place human beings occupy in the world, the fragility of the natural world and the wild animals who inhabit it, and the relationships we build with ourselves and those around us (including animals) in the quiet moments. It's right up there with my favourite books this year. And the writing, oh the writing: it is flawless.

Chloe Dalton is a political advisor and speechwriter (she thanks William Hague in the acknowledgements) who, during the pandemic, returns to the English countryside of her childhood. While there, she finds a leveret (a baby hare) injured after being chased by a dog. She takes in the leveret, but doesn't cage it, giving it freedom to roam in and out of the house.

The book chronicles their time together and the challenges faced preparing the leveret for life in the wild as it grows into a hare. This might sound plodding to anyone not into nature memoirs (I can't say I'm particularly into them myself), but I promise Raising Hare is full of thrilling moments, tension and beauty. I absolutely loved it and plan to pick up a physical copy. This will surely win prizes. Comfortably a 5/5 stars for me. A thing of dazzling beauty.

Favourite reads so far this year: The Axeman's Carnival, The Safekeep, The Coast Road and Raising Hare.

*Many thanks to the author, publisher @canongatebooks and Netgalley for the arc. As always, this is an honest review.