Book Club: 'Raising Hare' by Chloe Dalton

We gathered on Infinity Lawn for August’s Book Club, where Ruth introduced Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton. Ruth admitted she had been surprised to enjoy it, and it soon became clear that the rest of us felt the same.

Dalton, normally an extremely busy political adviser, found herself unexpectedly caring for a new-born leveret during lockdown at her rural home. Her account of the hare’s life is simple and unsentimental, yet deeply evocative of the countryside. The book is also enriched with gentle, beautifully drawn illustrations that added to its charm.

Like Ruth, we were all struck by how we enjoyed the book much more than expected. We admired the author’s restraint - resisting any impulse to over-care or encourage the hare into human habits or dependency. We were also fascinated to learn that hares are naturally clean and even appear housetrained. Indeed, we all learned a lot about hares!

One sobering fact that stayed with us was the discovery that, unlike every other hunted animal in the UK, hares have no close season for protection, despite their long breeding season and endangered status. Many of us felt moved by this, and I even found myself signing a petition on the government website - something I seldom do, and despite not thinking of myself as much of an “animal person.” It’s testament to how compelling this book is.

This month’s discussion was gentler than some, with little disagreement among us, but there was a sense of appreciation all round. Nobody regretted reading Raising Hare.

Looking ahead, our next meeting will be on Wednesday 10th September, when Carmel will introduce Iris Murdoch’s 'The Sandcastle'.