1/100 – The White Hare by Michael Fishwick

I am trying for the first time in my life to read 100 books in 2020. I plan to document all 100 here. Hence, the 1/100 above.

I saw The White Hare at the local library and was intrigued.

A lost boy. A dead girl, and one who is left behind.
A village full of whispers and secrets.
When the white hare appears, magical and fleet in the silvery moonlight, she leads them all into a legend, a chase.
But who is the hunter and who the hunted?

It turned out to be the first book of 2020 for me and it is a good one.

A tad too much teenage angst for me (I’m clearly not the target audience) but a wonderful mix of tension and mystery with just enough myth and otherworldly aspects. A definite page turner despite not being a thriller or action style plot.

Kirkus captures what makes it such an enjoyable read:

Finely tuned prose, a rich sense of place, magical folklore elements, multidimensional characters, and a well-paced plot create a suspenseful contemporary tale of grief, retribution, and healing.

Evening Standard gets at some of the awkwardness as to target audience:

Michael Fishwick, a publisher-turned-novelist, retells the white hare legend in this coming-of-age story which wavers uncertainly between young-adult fiction and a crossover modern folk tale.

Forward Reviews artfully describes both the subjects touched on and the writing style:

Fishwick wields strangeness rather than certainty, and specificity rather than answers, in this rare offering filled with mystery and emotional depth. A treatise on the brutality of love and the pain it frequently leaves behind, The White Hare looks to the wild places and feral people that grief creates. The beauty of its prose lingers, a grace note amidst the heartbreaking realization that, often, “it’s hard to know how guilty you are.”

Like I said, solid start to 2020. Outside of some ambiguity about the age or message, and that ambiguity can be a strength, The White Hare is a lyrical and engaging read for ambitious readers of varying ages.

Kevin Holtsberry
I work in communications and public affairs. I try to squeeze in as much reading as I can while still spending time with my wife and two kids (and cheering on the Pittsburgh Steelers and Michigan Wolverines during football season).

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