Raising Hare

Chloe Dalton is the book’s author and narrator. She is a writer, political analyst, and foreign policy expert living in London at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. She initially self-identifies as an urbanite, noting: “Life and its beating heart lay for me in the city” (17). She is a driven, work-oriented individual who derives much of her identity from her career. She enjoys her job, her life in London, and the opportunities for far-flung travel that work affords her. She does not initially consider moving full-time to the countryside, and she explains that she purchased the property as a project and to have a weekend retreat. Chloe grew up in a rural area and loved nature as a child, but as an adult, she balks at the idea of leaving the city. Initially she finds it difficult to acclimate to the slower pace of rural life. She is still working remotely, and her life lacks the structure it had pre-pandemic. Chloe undergoes a distinct set of changes, however, as she cares for the leveret. Researching hares energizes her and provides her with a new sense of direction. She realizes that the slower, simpler pace of rural life is soothing, as is devoting so much of her time to the care of an animal.