The Rabbit Hutch

Content Warning: This section of the guide contains discussion of addiction, animal cruelty, animal death, and emotional abuse.

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. What was your initial reaction to Gunty’s choice to frame the novel with Blandine’s mystical experience of “exiting her body”? How did this supernatural element affect your engagement with the social realism portrayed in Vacca Vale?

2. Which character’s storyline in The Rabbit Hutch resonated with you most deeply, and why? Did your sympathies shift throughout the novel as you learned more about each resident’s circumstances?

3. How does Gunty’s portrayal of intersecting lives in a post-industrial Midwestern town compare to other explorations of small-town America, such as Elizabeth Strout’s Olive Kitteridge? What unique perspective does The Rabbit Hutch offer on community and isolation?

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. Blandine finds meaning and solace in studying medieval mystics despite living in contemporary Indiana. What seemingly incongruous interests or passions have provided you comfort during challenging periods in your life?

2. How do the thin walls of the Rabbit Hutch, whose denizens overhear each other’s lives “like radio plays” (354), mirror the emotional boundaries in your own communities? When have you felt the tension between privacy and connection?

3. Economic decline in Vacca Vale affects everything from the physical landscape to personal relationships. In what ways have you witnessed economic shifts change the social fabric of communities you’ve known?

4. Jack describes himself and his roommates as existing in conditions where true independence is impossible. What does this reveal about the gap between ideals of self-sufficiency and the reality many young adults face? How does this compare to your own transitions to independence?

5. Various forms of escapism appear throughout the novel, from mysticism to social media to glow stick addiction. What methods of escape have you found most compelling or problematic in your own life? What distinguishes healthy coping from harmful distractions?

6. When Tiffany legally changes her name to Blandine, she attempts to reinvent herself. Have you ever considered or undertaken a significant act of self-reinvention? What motivated this change, and what did you gain or lose in the process?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. In Vacca Vale, politicians are described as ignoring the town except during election seasons. What commentary does this offer about how post-industrial communities are treated in American politics? How accurately does the novel capture the complex political realities of the Rust Belt?

2. Catholicism serves as both comfort and control in the characters’ lives. What insights does Gunty offer into the changing role of religious institutions in contemporary America? How do her characters’ relationships with faith reflect broader cultural shifts?

3. Maxwell Pinky’s redevelopment project promises to transform Vacca Vale from a “dying postindustrial city into a startup hub” (40). What does this reveal about who typically benefits from urban revitalization? What alternative models might better serve communities like Vacca Vale?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. How do the multiple narrative techniques Gunty employs—news articles, obituary comments, first-person confessions—enhance your understanding of the events and characters? What would be lost if the story were told through a single perspective?

2. What significance does the novel’s title, The Rabbit Hutch, hold beyond its literal reference to the apartment complex? How does rabbit imagery extend throughout the narrative, particularly in relation to the animal sacrifices?

3. Phosphorescence appears throughout the novel, from Moses’s glowing body to Blandine’s mystical experience. What might this supernatural light symbolize? How does it connect to themes of visibility, transcendence, and revelation?

4. Jack stands out as the only character given a first-person narrative voice. Why might Gunty have made this specific choice? How does access to his interiority shape your perception of him compared to other characters?

5. References to medieval mysticism function as sources of both character development and social commentary in the novel. What parallels does Gunty draw between religious ecstasy and other forms of transcendence sought by the characters? How does this historical reference point illuminate contemporary struggles?

6. Abandonment appears in various forms throughout the novel—through the foster care system, economic decline, and emotional neglect. In what ways do these parallel experiences of being “orphaned” inform each other? How do different characters respond to their respective abandonments?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. Joan and Blandine share a moment of connection in the hospital at the novel’s end. Write a conversation between them one year later. What might they discuss? How would their relationship have evolved?

2. Residents of the Rabbit Hutch hear each other through the thin walls as if listening to “radio plays.” Create a soundscape for what a new tenant might hear during their first night in the building. Which sounds would dominate? What stories would these sounds tell?

3. What would a more equitable development plan for Vacca Vale look like? Draft a proposal that balances economic revitalization with environmental preservation and community needs, addressing the concerns Blandine raises about the current development project.