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NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • LONGLISTED FOR THE 2025 WOMEN’S PRIZE

A heartfelt and compelling reflection on freedom, trust, grief, and the delicate bonds we share with nature, Raising Hare tells the extraordinary tale of one woman’s unique friendship with a wild hare.

NAMED A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK BY: The New York Times, Kirkus, Paste Magazine, and Sunset Magazine

“A profound, philosophical exploration of humanity’s relationship with nature.”—Matt Haig, author of The Midnight Library

“A beautifully rendered tribute to love’s transformative power. By loving and caring for a young hare, Chloe Dalton discovered a deeper connection to the entire natural world—and through this magnificent book, she inspires us to do the same.”—Margaret Renkl, author of The Comfort of Crows

Picture holding and bottle-feeding an infant hare. Imagine it living freely inside your home, hopping across your bedroom floor at night and thumping against your duvet whenever it seeks attention. Imagine that even after two years, it obediently returns from the surrounding fields at your call, resting safely in your home for hours, eventually giving birth to its own offspring right in your study. For Chloe Dalton—a busy London speechwriter and political advisor unexpectedly isolated in England’s rural countryside during lockdown—this extraordinary scenario became her reality.

In February 2021, Dalton discovers a newborn hare—a tiny leveret—fleeing from an attacking dog. Concerned for its survival, she brings it inside, only to quickly learn that raising wild hares is nearly impossible, as most perish from stress or starvation in captivity. Through numerous challenges and setbacks, she gradually masters the delicate task of nurturing the leveret, fully intending to release it back to the wild. Yet, the hare chooses to linger, forming a gentle, trusting bond with Dalton. By night it roams freely through farmland and woods, by day it returns home voluntarily. Dalton continually fears the vast threats outside—foxes, stoats, cats, raptors, even human hunters. Yet she knows she must not confine it: to cage the hare would mean destroying the very freedom and wildness she seeks to protect.

Raising Hare chronicles Chloe Dalton’s remarkable friendship with her unusual companion while also beautifully examining the fascinating biology, habits, and mythology surrounding hares, from ancient folklore to their role in art and literature. Ultimately, the book celebrates the joy and wonder that come from unexpected connections between humans and animals, reminding readers that life’s most significant and moving experiences often arrive when we least anticipate them.