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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