'Raising Hare' by Chloe Dalton

This is a classic example of a delightful book that I would never have considered reading had it not been chosen by one of the members of my non-fiction reading group. I found it hugely engaging. It combines nature writing with memoir and some gentle campaigning journalism, and des all three very effectively.

During the covid lockdown period Chloe Dalton left London and was living alone in a cottage in the country when one winter's day she stumbled across a new born leveret nestled in the undergrowth in a nearby field. On returning the following day it was still there, apparently abandoned or mislaid by its mother. After some thought she decided to pick it up, take it home and start feeding it herself. The book then tells the story of her relationship with this wild animal who she never seeks to domesticate or treat as a pet, but who returns to her house and garden regularly for over a year. I do not want to say much more about how matters proceed as that would spoil what is a very sweet and compelling little story with all kinds of twists. About a third of the way through we get a 'gender reveal' moment and later, other hares also come into the story. Interspersed are passages about the biology of hares, the way they live, their place in history and literature, the difficulties they face in a world of mechanised agriculture and the way they interact with one another. Aside from the section on the revolting 'sport' of hare coursing, it is a complete pleasure to read from start to finish.