Woman Finds Healing in Orphaned Hare After Miscarriage

Anna Goldreich's debut novel, 'The Leveret,' poignantly portrays a woman's struggle with grief following a late miscarriage. Six months past the loss, the protagonist, Clare, feels an acute sense of being stuck, while her partner, Phoebe, anticipates her moving forward.

The couple relocates to a rural village, where Clare, initially disengaged, discovers an abandoned baby hare under a hedge. This encounter is depicted as a profound, almost second birth, pulling Clare back towards a sense of physical reality and self.

Clare names the hare Isla and cares for it intensely, blurring the lines between a symptom of mental illness and a desperate act of self-healing. The narrative raises questions about our connection to nature and the need for earthly contact.

The novel attempts a polyphonic structure, alternating between Clare's and Phoebe's perspectives. While Phoebe's halting expressions of love are moving, her narrative voice is less developed. Ultimately, Phoebe reclaims Clare for human connection, leaving the outcome of Clare's bond with Isla deliberately ambiguous.