by Chloe Dalton
First published 2024
When lockdown forces professional Chloe Dalton to abandon her urban career and retreat to rural countryside, she discovers more than childhood memories waiting for her. She finds a tiny hare, no larger than her palm, abandoned and fighting for life. Chloe becomes the unlikely guardian of this fragile creature, bottle feeding the leveret and watching it hop through her bedroom at night, tapping the duvet when it seeks her attention. The hare grows under her care, yet Chloe faces the mounting challenge of preparing her companion for life in the wild. Two years pass, and their bond deepens as the hare continues to respond to her calls from the fields and seeks comfort in her home. Dalton documents this unexpected partnership between human and wild animal, capturing the daily struggles of nurturing a creature meant for freedom. The relationship transforms both caregiver and hare, revealing how extraordinary connections emerge from the most surprising circumstances and restore our wonder for the natural world.
Genres: nature, animals, contemporary, biography-memoir
Vibes: emotional-atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, unexpected-connection
Setting: Countryside, Rural
Period: Lockdown
291 pages · Hardcover · Canongate Books