Thursday, July 2, 2020

Review - The Constant Rabbit by Jasper Fforde





Title: The Constant Rabbit
Author: Jasper Fforde
Pages: 320
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Release Date: 2nd July 2020


Blurb from Goodreads:

Peter Knox lives quietly in one of those small country villages that's up for the Village Garden of the Year award. Until Doc and Constance Rabbit move in next door, upsetting the locals (many of them members of governing political party United Kingdom Against Rabbit Population), complicating Peter's job as a Rabbit Spotter, and forcing him to take a stand, moving from unconscious leporiphobe to active supporter of the UK's amiable and peaceful population of anthropomorphised rabbits.

 







My Review:
 
*I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley*





Peter Knox lives in a world where the Event resulted in rabbits becoming anthropomorphised - they are now over six-feet-tall and like to duel with pistols. 

Most rabbits live in colonies, but some are permitted to live outside the colonies, like Doc and Constance Rabbit, Peter's new neighbours who have the quiet village of Much Hemlock in uproar.
The government sees the rabbits as pests, and Peter himself works as a Rabbit Spotter, using his talent to differentiate rabbits to catch those pretending to be someone else.

Peter has never thought of himself as leporiphobic (anti-rabbit), but he has never really done anything to aid the rabbit cause. Until now.
Peter finds himself caught between the rabbits and his employer.

Will Peter take a stand?




When reading the blurb for The Constant Rabbit I was most definitely intrigued, but I also wondered if this might be the one Jasper Fforde book that I might not enjoy - talking rabbits living in the UK seemed a bit of a stretch even with the author's genius imagination. However, I ended up really enjoying this and am very glad that I read it.

The protagonist, Peter Knox, lived a pretty mundane life until his new neighbours arrive. I couldn't help but like Peter and I felt a bit sorry for him when he was thrown in the deep-end and into crazy situations.

I wasn't sure I would be able to picture the rabbits as the author intended, but I did and I loved their traditions and how much the author had developed their culture.

While the plot did take a little while to get going, I enjoyed it and the storyline held my attention. I loved how the author always drops in the odd bit of foreshadowing here and there to keep you intrigued. I was surprised how invested I felt in what was happening. I found myself smiling a lot and laughed out loud several times.

The themes in The Constant Rabbit are very relevant right now and I found it very interesting how they were explored.

Jasper Fforde's books are always incredibly intelligent, witty and unique, and this was no different. The Constant Rabbit has firmly cemented Fforde's place as my favourite author. Only he could have come up with an idea as unlikely as this and make it work.




Overall, this was an enjoyable read that I would definitely recommend.


 



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