'Utterly captivating and poignant': Anthony Mangnall reviews 'Raising Hare'

'Hare' | Image property of Chloe Dalton

Anthony Mangnall

@AnthonyMangnal1

As one of the most brilliant minds to grace the Foreign Office during the Coalition years, one might have expected Chloe Dalton’s literary debut to be focused on foreign policy, statecraft or diplomacy.

Instead, Dalton has written something unexpected, almost unimaginable, yet utterly captivating and poignant with Raising Hare. During the midst of lockdown in secluded countryside, Dalton takes the reader on a journey far from the cut-throat world of Westminster, or the high-pressure environment of foreign affairs, into the serene yet challenging world of wildlife conservation.

As the title suggests, Dalton’s book focuses on a wild leveret she encounters when out on a contemplative walk. With no sign of the leveret’s mother, Dalton rescues it and – despite the conventional wisdom suggesting the impossibility of such an endeavour – rears it. With the same determination and attention to detail that has marked her career to date, Dalton embarks on this daunting task, armed with little more than compassion and willingness to learn.

For some there will be solace that the pages of Raising Hare detail a simple tale of animal rescue – but many others will find a profound and compelling reflection on our relationship with the wild. It is a call to action for environmental stewardship as well as reminder of the transformative power of slowing down and embracing the natural world. Dalton’s prose is lyrical and precise as she weaves in historical and poetical references with such effect that it draws the reader further into to the intimate world she shares with her unlikely companion. 

While the chapters fly by, the reader is engrossed in Dalton’s gentle trial-by-error method to rear the leveret while fighting against domestication. Just as the leveret transforms over the days and weeks, so too does Dalton. The driven, effective, capable and impressive political operator, speech writer and foreign policy expert finds herself slowing down, reconnecting with the countryside of her youth and discovering a new and powerful rhythm that moves with the needs of her charge and the subtle shifts of the seasons. 

Dalton’s prose is lyrical and precise

What sets Raising Hare apart is Dalton’s unique perspective, her own self-described lack of experience, her personal transformation, and the steady and mesmerising development of a wild hare through the pages. The blend of intimate nature observations coupled with calls for a change to hunting rules and farming methods challenges the reader to think critically about how we protect our wildlife and look after our land. 

In every way, Raising Hare is akin to the works of great British nature writing, echoing and surpassing the work by authors like Gavin Maxwell (Ring of Bright Water) or Frieda Hughes (George) or Helen Macdonald (H is for Hawk). Dalton’s fresh and clear voice cuts through and urgently reminds us that our wildlife and biodiversity levels are at critical levels, but that we have a responsibility to protect and cherish the natural world. 

Far from lecturing, Dalton’s book offers hope as it details one woman’s efforts to save and raise a hare. It challenges us all to reconnect with our environment and to respect the order of the natural world. At a moment when the world feels less safe and secure than ever, Raising Hare offers us all some respite to become lost in the life-changing influence of nature and the extraordinary experience shared by Dalton and Hare. 

Anthony Mangnall is former Conservative MP for Totnes

Raising Hare: The heart-warming true story of an unlikely friendship
By: Chloe Dalton
Publisher: Canongate Books

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