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The Hare
Raised to be obedient by a stern grandmother in a blue-collar town in Massachusetts, Rosie accepts a scholarship to art school in New York City in the 1980s. One morning at a museum, she meets a worldly man twenty years her senior, with access to the upper crust of New England society. Bennett is dashing, knows that “polo” refers only to ponies, teaches her which direction to spoon soup, and tells of exotic escapades with Truman Capote and Hunter S. Thompson. Soon, Rosie is living with him on a swanky estate on Connecticut’s Gold Coast, naively in sway to his moral ambivalence. A daughter—Miranda—is born, just as his current con goes awry forcing them to abscond in the middle of the night to the untamed wilderness of northern Vermont.
Almost immediately, Bennett abandons them in an uninsulated cabin without a car or cash for weeks at a time, so he can tend a teaching job that may or may not exist at an elite college. Rosie is forced to care for her young daughter alone, and to tackle the stubborn intricacies of the wood stove, snowshoe into town, hunt for wild game, and forage in the forest. As Rosie and Miranda’s life gradually begins to normalize, Bennett’s schemes turn malevolent, and Rosie must at last confront his twisted deceptions. Her actions have far-reaching and perilous consequences.
Almost immediately, Bennett abandons them in an uninsulated cabin without a car or cash for weeks at a time, so he can tend a teaching job that may or may not exist at an elite college. Rosie is forced to care for her young daughter alone, and to tackle the stubborn intricacies of the wood stove, snowshoe into town, hunt for wild game, and forage in the forest. As Rosie and Miranda’s life gradually begins to normalize, Bennett’s schemes turn malevolent, and Rosie must at last confront his twisted deceptions. Her actions have far-reaching and perilous consequences.
312 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 26, 2021
155 people are currently reading
4563 people want to read
About the author
Melanie Finn
8 books125 followersMelanie Finn was born and raised in Kenya and the US. She is author of four critically acclaimed "literary thrillers," Away From You (2004), The Gloaming (2016), The Underneath (2018) and The Hare (2021). While working in a remote area of Tanzania as the writer and producer of the DisneyNature flamigo epic, The Crimson Wing, she founded Natron Healthcare, a small charity focused on bringing health education and health service to under resourced communities in that area. She lives with her husband, the wildlife filmmaker Matt Aeberhard, and their twin daughters on a mountainside in northern Vermont.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 246 reviews
December 14, 2020
With The Hare, Melanie Finn has written powerful story of female perseverance, strength, and resilience. This book has rare qualities: beautiful writing while being absolutely unputdownable, and I will be pressing it into the hands of every reader I know.
January 29, 2021
The Hare is a beautifully written meditation on womanhood, resilience, and trauma, but it didn't always resonate with me.
As a naive teenager, Rosie begins a relationship with the older and richer Bennett. Then, barely out of her teen years and caring for their infant daughter, Rosie is left in a decrepit shack in the Vermont winter to fend for herself for two months while Bennett disappears. With the help of her neighbour Billy, one of the only women Rosie has a positive relationship with in the book, she learns to survive in the woods and establish herself and an independent woman and mother.
Rosie's view of womanhood seems to be based on the idea that women are, primarily, the victims of men, which she says during a transphobic rant. The book itself largely agreed; men are predators and women are victims and it isn't interested in taking a nuanced look at these dynamics.
I loved the writing and enjoyed the story Finn tells, but I docked a star for flimsy gender politics.
As a naive teenager, Rosie begins a relationship with the older and richer Bennett. Then, barely out of her teen years and caring for their infant daughter, Rosie is left in a decrepit shack in the Vermont winter to fend for herself for two months while Bennett disappears. With the help of her neighbour Billy, one of the only women Rosie has a positive relationship with in the book, she learns to survive in the woods and establish herself and an independent woman and mother.
Rosie's view of womanhood seems to be based on the idea that women are, primarily, the victims of men, which she says during a transphobic rant. The book itself largely agreed; men are predators and women are victims and it isn't interested in taking a nuanced look at these dynamics.
I loved the writing and enjoyed the story Finn tells, but I docked a star for flimsy gender politics.
February 17, 2021
I wish I knew what the fuss what about, but honestly, this book made absolutely no sense. It felt like every kind of social issue was crammed into a single book, with no true storyline that made any sense. Maybe it just went over my head, but I definitely would not recommend this book.
May 28, 2021
I genuinely don’t know how I feel about this book. On one hand, the writing was beautiful and kept me engaged the whole time. The character development was really intriguing for a good portion of the book.
However, the story jumped around a lot, which made it hard to focus at times, and the last fourth of the book felt like an entirely different story. Additionally, there was a section I felt was unintentionally transphobic; like the author was trying to be progressive and feminist but it was not intersectional nor understanding at all.
Overall I didn’t hate it but I didn’t really like it either. Don’t think I’d recommend it.
However, the story jumped around a lot, which made it hard to focus at times, and the last fourth of the book felt like an entirely different story. Additionally, there was a section I felt was unintentionally transphobic; like the author was trying to be progressive and feminist but it was not intersectional nor understanding at all.
Overall I didn’t hate it but I didn’t really like it either. Don’t think I’d recommend it.
June 4, 2021
I hope no one reads this book. For many reason, but most of all because there is a section of the book that is transphobic and harmful- and I truly can't see how most reviewers don't see it that way.
Despite what jacket copy says, this book is a unimaginative exploration of womanhood, not a literary thriller, or an exploration of the trapping of the male gaze.
The author chooses to have the protagonist. Rosie, learn about her own womanhood mostly through brutal experiences. So, if you're ok with Joss Wheedonesque feminism, you'll be fine with it. If you're looking for more nuanced and critical thinking about the ever-present threat of violence that shapes the lives of most women you won't find it here, but I highly recommend Carmen Maria Machado's "Her Body and Other Parties" if you are.
Near the end the Rosie encounters an old friend who has had gender affirming surgery. The scene is pure TERF rhetoric. Rosie thinks and says things best summarized as "why would someone "choose" to be a a woman?" And "No man can possibly become a woman just because he "feels" like one, because he will never suffer as one." In a bizarre follow-up scene, Rosie later goes on a drive with this friend where they revisit their childhood homes and share a kiss and Rosie realizes her friend is the same they've always been. (Because why not throw the fetishization of trans women while simultaneously erasing their womanhood into the narrative as well.) What makes this scene particularly harmful to the trans community is that Rosie's friend has become incredibly wealthy and able to afford the best gender affirmation assistance- surgery, hormones, wardrobe. Something that the majority of trans people can't afford. The idea of Rosie taking stock of what it means to have be born and shaped as a woman in the world compared to a trans woman who has the incredible privilege to affirm her gender later in life a) completely ignores the psychological suffering of people who need to affirm their gender and b) creates a false dichotomy between Rosie's experience in life as an extremely poor woman and that of a very wealthy trans woman.
The issue is money, not gender. But it's clear that the author, like many white women her age, doesn't understand that trans women ARE women and their lives are not meant to be used as plot devices for commentary on womanhood, femininity, or even gender.
I also find it extremely telling, and again unfortunately common among white women of the author's age, that the author chose not use motherhood as one of the lenses through which Rosie's womanhood is explored. Instead, Rosie's daughter is nothing more than a plot device that allows the author to have Rosie explore her womanhood through sex abuse and childhood sex trafficking.
IF after reading this review you still want to read the book I'll also warn you the ending is ridiculous. I don't know what we're supposed to imagine for Rosie after arson-to-hide-a-crime and art theft, but perhaps Rosie will explore her womanhood through incarceration in a sequel that I definitely won't read.
Finally, if the author wants to write about her chosen home of Vermont she should probably actually try getting to know the people born and raised in the NEK instead of parodying them so poorly based on what I can only believe are assumptions she's made about them in the market checkout line.
Despite what jacket copy says, this book is a unimaginative exploration of womanhood, not a literary thriller, or an exploration of the trapping of the male gaze.
The author chooses to have the protagonist. Rosie, learn about her own womanhood mostly through brutal experiences. So, if you're ok with Joss Wheedonesque feminism, you'll be fine with it. If you're looking for more nuanced and critical thinking about the ever-present threat of violence that shapes the lives of most women you won't find it here, but I highly recommend Carmen Maria Machado's "Her Body and Other Parties" if you are.
Near the end the Rosie encounters an old friend who has had gender affirming surgery. The scene is pure TERF rhetoric. Rosie thinks and says things best summarized as "why would someone "choose" to be a a woman?" And "No man can possibly become a woman just because he "feels" like one, because he will never suffer as one." In a bizarre follow-up scene, Rosie later goes on a drive with this friend where they revisit their childhood homes and share a kiss and Rosie realizes her friend is the same they've always been. (Because why not throw the fetishization of trans women while simultaneously erasing their womanhood into the narrative as well.) What makes this scene particularly harmful to the trans community is that Rosie's friend has become incredibly wealthy and able to afford the best gender affirmation assistance- surgery, hormones, wardrobe. Something that the majority of trans people can't afford. The idea of Rosie taking stock of what it means to have be born and shaped as a woman in the world compared to a trans woman who has the incredible privilege to affirm her gender later in life a) completely ignores the psychological suffering of people who need to affirm their gender and b) creates a false dichotomy between Rosie's experience in life as an extremely poor woman and that of a very wealthy trans woman.
The issue is money, not gender. But it's clear that the author, like many white women her age, doesn't understand that trans women ARE women and their lives are not meant to be used as plot devices for commentary on womanhood, femininity, or even gender.
I also find it extremely telling, and again unfortunately common among white women of the author's age, that the author chose not use motherhood as one of the lenses through which Rosie's womanhood is explored. Instead, Rosie's daughter is nothing more than a plot device that allows the author to have Rosie explore her womanhood through sex abuse and childhood sex trafficking.
IF after reading this review you still want to read the book I'll also warn you the ending is ridiculous. I don't know what we're supposed to imagine for Rosie after arson-to-hide-a-crime and art theft, but perhaps Rosie will explore her womanhood through incarceration in a sequel that I definitely won't read.
Finally, if the author wants to write about her chosen home of Vermont she should probably actually try getting to know the people born and raised in the NEK instead of parodying them so poorly based on what I can only believe are assumptions she's made about them in the market checkout line.
January 3, 2023
Between finishing The Hare and writing this review, I read a bunch of other reviews about it. There are some pretty negative ones out there revolving around two main things: the transphobic section and the portrayal of the characters. I will not deny that the transphobic part is jarring and feels totally unnecessary. I do think some people are misreading what the character is feeling and how the author is framing it though. Finn very clearly refers to the character as female in word and general spirit within all the descriptions and consistently uses the proper pronouns. Any time we see the transphobic stuff it is in direct relation to what Rosie is thinking or how she is reacting. That distinction should be made. I still think the content feels out of place and unnecessary. There is also some fatphobic content that deserves to be mentioned. Though it often feels like it is in relation to the viewpoint of the character, it also does not feel like it needed to be there for the story to work. For the second issue, I very much disagree with those saying the poor characters are shown as dumb caricatures. To me, the smartest, most resourceful people are the poorer characters in the book. I did not think the book was very kind to the rich at all, calling them out both by the means in which their wealth was acquired and in the short sighted way they view basically everyone but themselves.
Putting that aside, The Hare is a tale dealing with abuse and trauma, particularly from a female perspective. It deals with content that is not fun, but the writing is sharp and Finn is able to bounce through years of story allowing us to fill in the gaps with small details provided as it goes. It is a book that does not spell everything out for the reader. It relies on them to put together the full picture for themselves. Some may see that as a shortcoming, but to me it provided for the right pacing of the story. It was quite satisfying to see the way Rosie grows and changes, coming into her own as she ages and learns from the people around her that truly care. For her more questionable decisions, I always felt like I could see the way her past experiences influenced that behavior. There is plenty to take away from these pages if given the chance, and with The Hare finished, I certainly plan on reading more of Finn's work.
Putting that aside, The Hare is a tale dealing with abuse and trauma, particularly from a female perspective. It deals with content that is not fun, but the writing is sharp and Finn is able to bounce through years of story allowing us to fill in the gaps with small details provided as it goes. It is a book that does not spell everything out for the reader. It relies on them to put together the full picture for themselves. Some may see that as a shortcoming, but to me it provided for the right pacing of the story. It was quite satisfying to see the way Rosie grows and changes, coming into her own as she ages and learns from the people around her that truly care. For her more questionable decisions, I always felt like I could see the way her past experiences influenced that behavior. There is plenty to take away from these pages if given the chance, and with The Hare finished, I certainly plan on reading more of Finn's work.
March 5, 2021
Dreadful. An art student (Rose) meets an older, seemingly sophisticated, guy in a NY City art museum, and is swept away by his love for her. They live on the coast of Connecticut until they are literally run off in the middle of the night, moving to a cabin in northern Vermont. Bennett is a strange guy, a bon vivant, con man, who abandons Rose and his daughter, Miranda to a life of hardship and abject poverty. Rose is literally saved by Billy, her gruff but soft-hearted neighbor. Despicable characters. My reading experience was further ruined by an e-book copy from the King County Library system that was about a page in about 20 places, leading to discontinuities even beyond the story's senseless plot.
January 27, 2021
via my blog:https://bookstalkerblog.wordpress.com/
𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐡𝐢𝐦, 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐭 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐯𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐬, 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐫, 𝐬𝐦𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫, 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐧.
I devoured this novel and it certainly sat heavy in my gut. Standing witness to a young woman who hasn’t had the time nor experience to fully form as a person, to fill her space in the world, to have the freedom to ‘become’, is nothing short of horrific. As an early reader there wasn’t anyone to discuss it with and I couldn’t wait to share it. We meet Rosie Monroe when she falls for a worldly, upper crust, dashing New England man, twenty years her senior, twenty years the wiser. Rosie is hungry for experience, desperate to escape the confines of her strict grandmother “Gran’s” house and too young to realize what trap she is setting for herself. Led by her passions and her dream of being an artist, far from the solid, frugal, bland life her grandmother envisions for her, she applies to art school in New York City during the 1980’s and wins a scholarship. Once there, she begins to feel as lonely as before, not quite fitting into the scene of the ‘hipper’ students but finds something far more thrilling to occupy her. She might not make powerful art statements, nor create compelling, important performance art but she draws the eye of a hulking, fascinating man. Seduced and possessed by the charms of Bennett when she meets him at the Museum of Modern Art, Rosie finally has someone to fill her loneliness. With his world offered on a plate she expands her own and shadowed by his hulking, strong presence she feels far more alive than she ever felt in the subdued loveless life beside her Gran.
Naturally, such passions blind Rosie to the inconsistencies in Bennet’s life. His meaty opinions, his sense of entitlement, the strength and power she observes in the very manner he occupies his body, and asserts himself in every situation, particularly where she’d be cowed, assures her of his importance. But beneath the surface, his criticisms bite, infect, aren’t necessarily for ‘the betterment’ of her being. At the beginning, nothing is more alluring than his desire for her, his terror that Rosie might leave him. What is more flattering than another’s need for us when we’re young and lonely? Like a hooked fish, she lives at the mercy of his whims, which isn’t bad at all when she is so unsure of herself. She feels special, consumed by the pleasures of their lovemaking, feeling lucky she was chosen to spend her summer by the sea with this amazing man who runs in circles of famous people and understands the world of wealth and all it’s secret surfaces. Before long, they are living together and she gets to play at being an artist while staying in a boathouse on his wealthy friend’s estate. But like all dreams, it doesn’t last. She is pregnant and Bennet’s logic is full of holes, as much as his sentences. It doesn’t change her love for him, like a violence.
Things sour after their baby girl, Miranda, is born and Bennet is in trouble with his ‘business’, forcing the little family to an isolated cabin in Vermont. Here, life is savage, raw compared to the luxury and comfort of the boathouse. A cold, infested house, with a brutish, strange neighbor next door that doesn’t much warm up to strangers. As Bennet begins to spiral, he spends more time away with his new job leaving Rosie to figure how to survive their crude conditions. His money comes and goes, giving them just enough until the cupboards are bare. His tenderness is a ghost of a feeling, the only thing giving her body and soul warmth now are the woodstove she spends endless, sleepless nights feeding. Once again, she is invisible in isolation but here, she transcends her former, girlish self. Rosie might become something a man can’t strip to the bone with pretty words, cultivating a strength beyond anything Bennet can offer.
Rosie represents a lot of women in varying stages, to my way of thinking. Soft, naïve, hungry for fulfillment, love, to be seen, sacrificing ambition and dreams for what seems like a gift. Later, a waking dreamer trapped in a nightmare of their own stupid making and as she ages and finds strength to raise their girl, a fierce mother. I loved this story, but it is dark, a painful shedding. Life, even at it’s bleakest, has it’s surprises and help comes from unexpected places. She grows, she has no choice but to feel the bruises of her mistakes. It’s when you have to scratch for survival that you find your backbone. There is so many painful awakenings in this novel. Readers will judge her, for her blindness, it’s easy to do from the safety of distance, it’s what women face from the time they are born, these incriminating missteps dragging behind us like a rotting dead horse. We always pay with a pound of flesh.
Yes, read it. Can’t wait to see what others think.
Publication Date: January 26th 2021
OUT TODAY!!!!
Two Dollar Radio
𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐡𝐢𝐦, 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐭 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐯𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐬, 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐫, 𝐬𝐦𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫, 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐧.
I devoured this novel and it certainly sat heavy in my gut. Standing witness to a young woman who hasn’t had the time nor experience to fully form as a person, to fill her space in the world, to have the freedom to ‘become’, is nothing short of horrific. As an early reader there wasn’t anyone to discuss it with and I couldn’t wait to share it. We meet Rosie Monroe when she falls for a worldly, upper crust, dashing New England man, twenty years her senior, twenty years the wiser. Rosie is hungry for experience, desperate to escape the confines of her strict grandmother “Gran’s” house and too young to realize what trap she is setting for herself. Led by her passions and her dream of being an artist, far from the solid, frugal, bland life her grandmother envisions for her, she applies to art school in New York City during the 1980’s and wins a scholarship. Once there, she begins to feel as lonely as before, not quite fitting into the scene of the ‘hipper’ students but finds something far more thrilling to occupy her. She might not make powerful art statements, nor create compelling, important performance art but she draws the eye of a hulking, fascinating man. Seduced and possessed by the charms of Bennett when she meets him at the Museum of Modern Art, Rosie finally has someone to fill her loneliness. With his world offered on a plate she expands her own and shadowed by his hulking, strong presence she feels far more alive than she ever felt in the subdued loveless life beside her Gran.
Naturally, such passions blind Rosie to the inconsistencies in Bennet’s life. His meaty opinions, his sense of entitlement, the strength and power she observes in the very manner he occupies his body, and asserts himself in every situation, particularly where she’d be cowed, assures her of his importance. But beneath the surface, his criticisms bite, infect, aren’t necessarily for ‘the betterment’ of her being. At the beginning, nothing is more alluring than his desire for her, his terror that Rosie might leave him. What is more flattering than another’s need for us when we’re young and lonely? Like a hooked fish, she lives at the mercy of his whims, which isn’t bad at all when she is so unsure of herself. She feels special, consumed by the pleasures of their lovemaking, feeling lucky she was chosen to spend her summer by the sea with this amazing man who runs in circles of famous people and understands the world of wealth and all it’s secret surfaces. Before long, they are living together and she gets to play at being an artist while staying in a boathouse on his wealthy friend’s estate. But like all dreams, it doesn’t last. She is pregnant and Bennet’s logic is full of holes, as much as his sentences. It doesn’t change her love for him, like a violence.
Things sour after their baby girl, Miranda, is born and Bennet is in trouble with his ‘business’, forcing the little family to an isolated cabin in Vermont. Here, life is savage, raw compared to the luxury and comfort of the boathouse. A cold, infested house, with a brutish, strange neighbor next door that doesn’t much warm up to strangers. As Bennet begins to spiral, he spends more time away with his new job leaving Rosie to figure how to survive their crude conditions. His money comes and goes, giving them just enough until the cupboards are bare. His tenderness is a ghost of a feeling, the only thing giving her body and soul warmth now are the woodstove she spends endless, sleepless nights feeding. Once again, she is invisible in isolation but here, she transcends her former, girlish self. Rosie might become something a man can’t strip to the bone with pretty words, cultivating a strength beyond anything Bennet can offer.
Rosie represents a lot of women in varying stages, to my way of thinking. Soft, naïve, hungry for fulfillment, love, to be seen, sacrificing ambition and dreams for what seems like a gift. Later, a waking dreamer trapped in a nightmare of their own stupid making and as she ages and finds strength to raise their girl, a fierce mother. I loved this story, but it is dark, a painful shedding. Life, even at it’s bleakest, has it’s surprises and help comes from unexpected places. She grows, she has no choice but to feel the bruises of her mistakes. It’s when you have to scratch for survival that you find your backbone. There is so many painful awakenings in this novel. Readers will judge her, for her blindness, it’s easy to do from the safety of distance, it’s what women face from the time they are born, these incriminating missteps dragging behind us like a rotting dead horse. We always pay with a pound of flesh.
Yes, read it. Can’t wait to see what others think.
Publication Date: January 26th 2021
OUT TODAY!!!!
Two Dollar Radio
June 5, 2021
4.5 rounded down
Need to mull over this...
Need to mull over this...
January 29, 2021
One of those rare, for me anyway, books that can’t be put down and requires one day of reading (once I got into the first thirty pages). This novel travels all over with ideas and plot. It is reviewed as a “thriller”, but I kept forgetting that until bits of thriller elements popped up. I really love the first half of this novel, but it all changed in tone in the last half.
This is my first Finn novel. Finn is a talented writer, the sentences were lovely and smooth.
This is my first Finn novel. Finn is a talented writer, the sentences were lovely and smooth.
February 24, 2021
No... just no. What was this book? It jumps all around, I found it hard to like any of the characters except for Billy. I had to re-read a bunch of sections because I thought I missed something. (I didn’t) And the ending? WTF was that. A highly unsatisfying read.
January 29, 2024
This book needs to come with a huge trigger warning. There were so many times where I almost had to stop reading completely because I felt sick.
This book is about trauma and the long-standing effects of the patriarchy. The story was intriguing enough to finish but never pick up again.
The feminism and “girl-power” in this book was pretty exclusive to white cis women. The main character was revealed to be a TERF.
You can find better feminist novels that include all women in the narrative. So do that!
This book is about trauma and the long-standing effects of the patriarchy. The story was intriguing enough to finish but never pick up again.
The feminism and “girl-power” in this book was pretty exclusive to white cis women. The main character was revealed to be a TERF.
You can find better feminist novels that include all women in the narrative. So do that!
April 15, 2021
“There is no sharp end of life, Rose thought. There isn’t even direction-no culmination of knowledge or grand arrival. Every moment is continually being lived and removed. There’s no closure, no past. There’s nothing tidy or succinct. Even forgiveness is just emotions shapeshifting. It’s all overflow, a chaos of conflict and definition. It’s just constant wading.”
Today is #internationalwomansday and I thought it only appropriate to highlight this book which we read this month for my IRL book club. I’ve never read anything by Melanie Finn before but I was really blown away by this. Rosie Monroe, was orphaned at a young age, raised by her Grandmother and is accepted into a prestigious art school where one day at a gallery she meets an older, charming man. The quintessential WASP, Bennett Kinney, plays Henry Higgins to her Eliza Doolittle, introducing her into the world of money, dry martinis, and very stiff upper lips. A place where the bathroom is called the W.C. and deception Is synonymous with keeping up appearances. Events begin to transpire that Finn unravels so as a reader you begin to become almost as confused as Rosie, while your instincts are screaming at this girl to run. The book charts this young girl as she becomes a woman. A mother. A survivor. A warrior. And through the past and the present Rose finds her own voice, and with great insight defines repeatedly the divisions between the genders and the effect it has on women beginning in childhood.
At one point she reflects: “Women had holes and men believed it was their right to fill them. Not content with the physical holes, they tried to make existential ones. Drilling, drilling, drilling”.
It would feel too reductive to label this as a feminist thriller, but there is an underlying menace that pervades large swaths of the story universally by one man after another.
I’m not going to lie: at times it’s a brutal, unforgiving read, and potentially full of triggers, which if you have questions about please don’t hesitate to send a message and ask, but it’s a book I couldn’t put down, and certain to provoke conversation.
I hope more people discover this, as I think it’s a hidden gem of 2021 and worthy of wide discussion.
March 25, 2021
Honestly the worst book I have ever read. The story is apparently supposed to show how women are abused or feel obligated to oblige the whims and wishes of men, particularly poor white women, but the author seemingly knows nothing about abuse or being poor and reduces them to naive idiots with no ambition or hillbilly bumpkins that don’t deserve further background. She tries to pull every feminist punch without truly earning the important moments and instead tries to earn them through paltry sprinklings of descriptions of art that get lost halfway through the book or high school allusions to nature and wilderness. I was really excited to read this book and really trie to give it a chance but the whole thing is just completely awful.
January 17, 2021
I was so pleased that Melanie Finn returned to the beautiful writing she displayed in her first novel, The Gloaming. This was a story of one woman’s journey to find her self and true identity on her own terms. We first meet Rosie as a young woman fleeing the home where her grandmother raised her. She makes many missteps and choices that change the course of her life, but as her story unfolds, she becomes stronger both mentally and physically.
The hare is a feminist story. What it means to be a woman. All the choices and paths women choose; whether to have and raise children or have careers, or a combination of the two. Women face obstacles men never do. Women are judged by their appearances and more harshly as they age. When we meet Rosie as a middle-aged woman, she is now Rose. Her daughter, Miranda is grown and living her own life. Rose finds a new path for herself.
Finn expertly describes Rose, with all her flaws in a way that is realistic and honest without being overly sentimental.
I highly recommend this novel.
The hare is a feminist story. What it means to be a woman. All the choices and paths women choose; whether to have and raise children or have careers, or a combination of the two. Women face obstacles men never do. Women are judged by their appearances and more harshly as they age. When we meet Rosie as a middle-aged woman, she is now Rose. Her daughter, Miranda is grown and living her own life. Rose finds a new path for herself.
Finn expertly describes Rose, with all her flaws in a way that is realistic and honest without being overly sentimental.
I highly recommend this novel.
July 7, 2021
Finn is clearly a gifted author, and as a big fan of Two Dollar Radio i was incredibly excited. i enjoyed the character of Billy and her relationship to femininity, as well as some of the frank discussion of abortion, but Finn's depiction of a transwoman is deeply transphobic. Finn meant well, as far as i can tell from interviews, but she seems sorely misinformed as to how to properly portray a trans women in a novel. rose is supposed to be transphobic but than learn to overcome it, but Finn focuses on the transwoman's 'manly' hands and genitalia so much that it made me physically uncomfortable.
April 7, 2021
this tried to be too many things but the plot was a good one & well-paced. i was bothered by certain details & their visuals pulled me out of the story. the pointed barbs directed at dr. christine blasey ford, nancy pelosi, and hillary clinton just pissed me off. it will always be too soon.
April 7, 2021
There's a lot I liked about this book. The plot raced along--there was no way I wasn't going to finish it-- and I felt that the author knew a lot about class differences between the very upper and very lower classes. I felt Bennet was a fascinating anti-hero, and a little bit of energy was sucked out of the novel when he was no longer in it, even if it was bad energy (although it was fascinating how he became conspicuous in his absence, which is in keeping with his character). His dialogue was terrific.
Overall, I found this a very entertaining read. My only quibble is that Finn might trust her reader to come to their own conclusions (which are easily drawn here) about issues with men and masculinity and sexuality. I also don't know that the reader's eye needs to be trained on every disturbing visual from the writer's notebook. She's clearly perceptive and observant, qualities I truly appreciate... to a point. I found myself skimming a bit through the last third. Then again, this is a novel that was clearly written with great care.
Book clubs could have fascinating discussions about the themes of this novel. It's so easy for a young woman to be seduced, and Finn explores the darkest consequences.
Overall, I found this a very entertaining read. My only quibble is that Finn might trust her reader to come to their own conclusions (which are easily drawn here) about issues with men and masculinity and sexuality. I also don't know that the reader's eye needs to be trained on every disturbing visual from the writer's notebook. She's clearly perceptive and observant, qualities I truly appreciate... to a point. I found myself skimming a bit through the last third. Then again, this is a novel that was clearly written with great care.
Book clubs could have fascinating discussions about the themes of this novel. It's so easy for a young woman to be seduced, and Finn explores the darkest consequences.
December 14, 2021
The author pulls no punches in telling the tale of a young and damaged woman struggling with her sense of self, and therefore struggling with her ability to assert it. I have experienced and/or known others who experienced almost every “turn of events” that occurs in this book, who struggle to this day with the ability to only sporadically feel whole and able to assert anything. It made for a painfully gut wrenching read, made possible to get through only by the many laugh out loud moments. And the ending was beautiful and desperate and unforgettable.
I should stop right there but...
I found myself deeply bothered by many of the young reviewers here. Being of an age with (and a few years older than) Rose and living through my life and watching those of friends and family, I resented seeing the content of this book written off as badly shoving a grab bag of social issues in. How nice to grow up in such a different era and to be lucky enough to miss out on the turns of events portrayed here. Please do not dismiss our lives.
And damn, are readers unable to read about flawed characters any more? No flawed thoughts allowed? This book is about the arc of a particular character and the particular people around her and does not in my mind presume to speak for “all” of anybody.
I should stop right there but...
I found myself deeply bothered by many of the young reviewers here. Being of an age with (and a few years older than) Rose and living through my life and watching those of friends and family, I resented seeing the content of this book written off as badly shoving a grab bag of social issues in. How nice to grow up in such a different era and to be lucky enough to miss out on the turns of events portrayed here. Please do not dismiss our lives.
And damn, are readers unable to read about flawed characters any more? No flawed thoughts allowed? This book is about the arc of a particular character and the particular people around her and does not in my mind presume to speak for “all” of anybody.
January 31, 2021
Good book. Rosie was a great character. Bennett was not. The ending was a bit...unexpected.
April 14, 2021
I have a real issue with the trans character in this book. The depiction of this character seems ignorant and possibly transphobic. Disheartening.
March 20, 2021
The Hare is the story of Rosie, a young art student in New York City in 1983, who falls in love with Bennett, an older man from a wealthy WASP-ish family in New England. When Rosie gets pregnant, she drops out of school to be with Bennett. After an incident forces them to Bennett’s family cottage in Vermont, Rosie starts her new life and becomes friends with her next door neighbor.
I read this for my 𝘽𝙞𝙘𝙤𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙡 𝘽𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙞𝙤𝙥𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙚𝙨 book club and I’m so glad I did because there is so much to talk about. The Hare is touted as a “feminist thriller” and I think that’s fairly accurate. This book tackles a lot of issues that affect women from pregnancy, and motherhood, to identity as a woman. With these issues, the novel explores themes of independence, freedom, security, and art. I liked that Rosie wasn’t a one dimensional heroine of this story. She makes some bad choices which frustrated me at times, but her character was developed so her choices always made sense. I liked the character of Billy and wished there would have been more exploration of their friendship. Many time jumps in the book were a bit jarring, but feel necessary to set up the motivations of the plot. One character appears later in a dinner scene who confused me at the time and I’m still trying to figure out the point of the character. The ending is a fast paced slide to an amazing finish.
I really loved this book. I read it in two days and could not put it down. Rosie’s story was frustrating and relatable. I think the writing of this book was excellent.This deal with a lot of issues which may not be suitable for all readers. I recommend it to anyone who likes a thriller. Published in January by Two Dollar Radio.▪️
⚠️ Child abuse, animal violence, domestic violence
I read this for my 𝘽𝙞𝙘𝙤𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙡 𝘽𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙞𝙤𝙥𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙚𝙨 book club and I’m so glad I did because there is so much to talk about. The Hare is touted as a “feminist thriller” and I think that’s fairly accurate. This book tackles a lot of issues that affect women from pregnancy, and motherhood, to identity as a woman. With these issues, the novel explores themes of independence, freedom, security, and art. I liked that Rosie wasn’t a one dimensional heroine of this story. She makes some bad choices which frustrated me at times, but her character was developed so her choices always made sense. I liked the character of Billy and wished there would have been more exploration of their friendship. Many time jumps in the book were a bit jarring, but feel necessary to set up the motivations of the plot. One character appears later in a dinner scene who confused me at the time and I’m still trying to figure out the point of the character. The ending is a fast paced slide to an amazing finish.
I really loved this book. I read it in two days and could not put it down. Rosie’s story was frustrating and relatable. I think the writing of this book was excellent.This deal with a lot of issues which may not be suitable for all readers. I recommend it to anyone who likes a thriller. Published in January by Two Dollar Radio.▪️
⚠️ Child abuse, animal violence, domestic violence
March 22, 2021
A page turner AND a great one to discuss with my BiCoastal Bibiophile Book Group.
I would not call it a thriller, more of an extended survival story. But some of the many issues raised are: poverty, abuse, misogyny, feminism, art, parenthood, resilience, transgender, aging. It made me a little bit afraid of Vermont ;-) But I need a city by my side so take this with a TBSP of salt, my home state has many dark and scary woods too!
Writing was excellent. I want to read The Gloaming.
I would not call it a thriller, more of an extended survival story. But some of the many issues raised are: poverty, abuse, misogyny, feminism, art, parenthood, resilience, transgender, aging. It made me a little bit afraid of Vermont ;-) But I need a city by my side so take this with a TBSP of salt, my home state has many dark and scary woods too!
Writing was excellent. I want to read The Gloaming.
May 18, 2021
Melanie Finn is a fast favorite. The first half
Of this was a 5 star read, second half didn’t grab me the same way, as the missing years of relationship between characters was lost. Still worthy of every minute, her dark stories are very engaging.
Of this was a 5 star read, second half didn’t grab me the same way, as the missing years of relationship between characters was lost. Still worthy of every minute, her dark stories are very engaging.
April 23, 2021
I have some...complicated feelings about this one.
In a nutshell, this book follows Rose Monroe (the main character) from 1983-2019. When we first meet her, she's an *incredibly* naive art student who is swept off her feet by a dashing man (Bennett) 20 years her senior. They run off together, Rose gets pregnant, Miranda is born. Bennett turns out to be all kinds of fricked up, drama ensues, and Rose has to figure out how to fend for herself/her daughter by any means necessary. In the later years of the story, Rose has to grapple with the choices she made, blah blah blah.
I really did NOT like this book for the first 150 pages or so. I almost gave up on it a bunch of times, because it was sooo slow, and I felt bored and annoyed at how totally naive and helpless Rose was. About mid-way through, the book takes a TURN and I was suddenly very invested in the story--the second half of the book, for me, was totally fascinating, and I'm glad I stuck with it.
I think this story had many moments of strength, resilience, and perseverance that I appreciated. I thought that Rose's character was developed really well throughout the book--we see a ton of growth with her character, and I think in a lot of ways that is the main point of the book. I even really liked the ending (though I see a bunch of reviews that disagree!). There are moments in the book that are super raw and painful, some harsh realities and difficult truths, and I liked that the story was able to evoke emotions and thoughtfulness in me.
However, what I really didn't like was what seemed to be the main characters overarching belief that women are primarily victims of men, and men are always bad. I get it, but I don't think the book did a very good job at exploring the underlying nuance. I struggled with the idea that Rose spent her whole life feeling trapped because of Bennett--even long after he was out of the picture, she kind of remained stuck in the place where he left her (again, I think this is kind of getting at what the core of the story is really about, but it sits funny with me).
Some other things: There was a sort of transphobic rant and an offhand comment about christine blasey ford that I *really* hated. I also think there were one or two plot holes that are not critical to the plot by any means but it annoyed me nonetheless to not really have resolution on those things (I am talking about )
Very minor thing: I've seen a few folks describe this book as a "thriller" but I...would not classify it as that personally, ha.
Overall I'd say it was a decent read, but not incredible.
In a nutshell, this book follows Rose Monroe (the main character) from 1983-2019. When we first meet her, she's an *incredibly* naive art student who is swept off her feet by a dashing man (Bennett) 20 years her senior. They run off together, Rose gets pregnant, Miranda is born. Bennett turns out to be all kinds of fricked up, drama ensues, and Rose has to figure out how to fend for herself/her daughter by any means necessary. In the later years of the story, Rose has to grapple with the choices she made, blah blah blah.
I really did NOT like this book for the first 150 pages or so. I almost gave up on it a bunch of times, because it was sooo slow, and I felt bored and annoyed at how totally naive and helpless Rose was. About mid-way through, the book takes a TURN and I was suddenly very invested in the story--the second half of the book, for me, was totally fascinating, and I'm glad I stuck with it.
I think this story had many moments of strength, resilience, and perseverance that I appreciated. I thought that Rose's character was developed really well throughout the book--we see a ton of growth with her character, and I think in a lot of ways that is the main point of the book. I even really liked the ending (though I see a bunch of reviews that disagree!). There are moments in the book that are super raw and painful, some harsh realities and difficult truths, and I liked that the story was able to evoke emotions and thoughtfulness in me.
However, what I really didn't like was what seemed to be the main characters overarching belief that women are primarily victims of men, and men are always bad. I get it, but I don't think the book did a very good job at exploring the underlying nuance. I struggled with the idea that Rose spent her whole life feeling trapped because of Bennett--even long after he was out of the picture, she kind of remained stuck in the place where he left her (again, I think this is kind of getting at what the core of the story is really about, but it sits funny with me).
Some other things: There was a sort of transphobic rant and an offhand comment about christine blasey ford that I *really* hated. I also think there were one or two plot holes that are not critical to the plot by any means but it annoyed me nonetheless to not really have resolution on those things (I am talking about )
Very minor thing: I've seen a few folks describe this book as a "thriller" but I...would not classify it as that personally, ha.
Overall I'd say it was a decent read, but not incredible.
March 7, 2021
Rosie is a scholarship art student trying to escape her sad upbringing by her uninterested grandmother when she meets a wealthy man who charms her and provides her with a brief taste of the life of the upper crust. She is warned multiple times that he is not what he appears to be but she naively clings to his avowed love for her, eventually escaping with him and their infant child to a decrepit cottage in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont where things continue to go downhill. And this is the stronger part of the book. The last 1/3 of the book takes place 30 years later when the mysteries of the past threaten to unravel - and that part is even more absurd.
December 4, 2021
I rarely review books, but I wish I'd read the reviews for this one because it would have saved me a lot of time. Horrid! There's a bizarre and unnecessary transphobic section, there's a bizarre and unnecessary section deriding Dr. Ford as 'wilting' in the Kavanaugh hearing...hardly insightful, feminist stuff. Most importantly, there's a running current of gruesomely detailed pedophilia in this book that serves no plot point. It reminded me of Swamplandia! but worse, as if the author thought merely peppering a novel with horrific child abuse that doesn't advance the story at all would make it edgy???? Skip this one.
July 10, 2021
This book was awesome. I’ve tried writing a detailed review 3 times and Goodreads has wiped the screen clean. So here is my shortened review.
The plot moves along at a good clip and keeps you turning pages. When I was 2/3 finished I felt it had reached its climax. I couldn’t see how the author could make it more interesting. WRONG.
Melanie Finn hits all the hot topic buttons. Women’s supposed inferiority to men, pay disparities, gender issues, hot flashes, menopause, rape, and women’s submission to men.
The plot moves along at a good clip and keeps you turning pages. When I was 2/3 finished I felt it had reached its climax. I couldn’t see how the author could make it more interesting. WRONG.
Melanie Finn hits all the hot topic buttons. Women’s supposed inferiority to men, pay disparities, gender issues, hot flashes, menopause, rape, and women’s submission to men.
October 7, 2022
Really?! Really?! That's the ending? That's the way you wrap up this journey of an underprivileged woman who falls for an elitist older man, has a baby with him, ends up in the bitter woods of Vermont and learns to survive on her own? So much potential in the beginning plot. THEN the story goes crazy. Too many liberal comments that alienated half of your readers. I get it. The main character, Rosie, had a hard childhood. She fell for a con man that created even more hardship. BUT she survived raising Miranda solo and then that ending. Egads.
January 15, 2021
1/15/2021 I have complicated feelings about Rosie as a young woman, but once she stops being such a sucker, The Hare gets really, really good. Full review tk at CriminalElement.com.
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