Raising Hare

Raising Hare (2025) is a memoir by writer, political advisor, and foreign policy specialist Chloe Dalton. An account of her experiences raising a hare during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is her first book and marks a deviation from her previous, politically focused writing. When the pandemic strikes, Dalton is a busy foreign policy specialist in London. She decamps to the countryside to escape pandemic lockdowns, but struggles with the slower pace of life. When she finds a baby hare that has become separated from its mother, she impulsively brings it back to her home. Thus begins a long and complex relationship between human and animal, sparking meditations on The Therapeutic Effects of Nature, The Challenges and Rewards of Caregiving, and Humanity’s Changing Relationship With Nature. 

This guide refers to the 2025 hardcover edition by Penguin Random House.

Content Warning: The source material and guide feature depictions of animal death.

Language Note: Young hares are called leverets. Chloe decides not to name her hare so as to avoid anthropomorphizing it. When Chloe’s hare is still less than one year old, she refers to it as “the leveret.” As it ages, she calls it “the hare.” This guide preserves that linguistic distinction: “The leveret” and “the hare” refer to the same creature at different stages of its life.

Summary

Chloe Dalton is a London-based writer and political analyst who retreats to her countryside property at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The property features an old, converted barn as well as a large garden, and it will afford her more space and freedom during London’s strict lockdown. Chloe loves the fast pace of her life in the city and her hectic travel schedule, but she has fond memories of her rural childhood and purchased the barn as a way to reconnect with nature. Not long after she arrives, she finds a leveret (a young hare) on one of her walks. The creature is alone, unsheltered, and without its mother. Chloe knows how rare it is for hares to expose themselves to danger and worries that if she leaves it, the tiny creature will die. She doubts the wisdom of interfering with nature, but decides to take it home anyway.

Chloe’s sister lives on a nearby farm and has more experience with animals than Chloe does. Chloe consults her as well as a local wildlife expert on how to care for the leveret. Chloe’s sister provides her with a powdered formula that she can mix with water, and the wildlife expert shares his knowledge of hares. He cautions her that the leveret will not likely survive, even with her care. Additionally, hares have never been domesticated and cannot be tamed. Chloe proceeds with caution and tries to manage her expectations, but to her surprise, the leveret survives. She begins to research hares, not only their habits and characteristics, but also the way that they have been depicted in popular culture. She learns that hares are an interesting, complex, and often misunderstood species and that even hunters have developed an appreciation for them over the years. As the leveret ages, it gains strength and becomes more interested in its surroundings. It begins to explore Chloe’s home and garden, and Chloe develops a growing attachment to the creature. Still, she is careful not to anthropomorphize it or to expect the kind of bond that humans have with cats, dogs, or even rabbits. She decides not to name the leveret and allows it to set the boundaries of their relationship. Although the leveret does not want to sit in her lap or submit to human touch outside of feedings, it does develop a familiarity with Chloe. It is attuned to her habits and accustomed to her presence.

Chloe develops a keen interest in hares and enjoys observing her leveret as it explores her home and garden. She notes the regularity of its habits, marveling at what a tight schedule it keeps. It has distinct likes and dislikes, which Chloe is excited to learn about. At four months of age, the leveret unexpectedly leaves Chloe’s garden. She wonders if their time together has come to an end, but is pleasantly surprised when it returns the next morning. It begins a new pattern: It spends every night roaming the countryside surrounding Chloe’s property, but returns at dawn each day to rest in the house or garden. Chloe realizes that the hare has changed her, shifted her perspective on life, and left her more attuned to the ways that humans have altered the natural world. She continues to research hares and compares her findings with her own observational data.

Chloe begins to travel for work, enlisting the help of family members to watch over the hare when she leaves. She has a small door installed in her home so that it can enter and leave the space freely. It continues to spend its days with her and gives birth to several young leverets of its own on her property. Chloe then has the opportunity to observe more leverets, deepen her bond with the first hare, and increase her knowledge about the species. She decides not to return to London as planned, and she begins using her country house as a base of operations, traveling to the city (and beyond) only as needed. She understands that the hare will still be left to its own fate and that any day, it might disappear for good. She worries when her neighbors plow their fields and observes the harm that mechanized agriculture causes to the region’s small animals. As the book ends, Chloe continues to live in harmony with the hare, hoping that when it does leave her for good, she can focus on her appreciation for it rather than the grief that losing it will surely cause her.