The Constant Rabbit is a very clever satire that was funny in places but overall it wasn't really my cup of tea!

I wanted to like this book as it sounded good but I couldn't get into it. I would have not reviewed but NetGalley insists on a review to keep your profile rating up even when you say you are declining to read it.

The book was archived before our group could download it. We are sure that we would have enjoyed the book judging from the reviews it has received.

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

An interesting and quirky read. The author moves into new territory and the premise is as always quirky and this one approaches what does it mean to be a "good being" from a new angle.

I liked Jasper Fforde's previous standalone but, as an animal rights proponent, I found this confusing and disturbing. I'm afraid I couldn't get on with it and the rabbit people were a little too contrived and off-beam. I think it was a missed opportunity to expand on the theme of animal rights.

I love Jasper Fforde books and was delighted with this book, too. Not from the beloved Thursday Next world, unfortunately, but still really mad, really clever and really well-written, It was darker in theme than his other books when you broke the allegory down further but you could probably ignore the dark, dystopian themes if you don't look too hard.

Beautiful, just beautiful. Holds a mirror to humanity, something we desperately need. I didn't expect to come away from this book having so many feelings, but I did. Using rabbits to show the current racial tensions within the world was inspired, and so well done. Thank you Jasper Fforde.

Imagine a world where a mysterious event (the Inexplicable Anthropomorphising Event) led to a small number of animals becoming human-sized, able to speak in human languages and live alongside us as equals. Of course, not all humans see this as a good thing - some people are so bothered by otherness - and a political movement has arisen to supress the right of rabbit-kind. Peter Knox works as a 'rabbit spotter' for the Rabbit Compliance Taskforce since he is one of the few humans who can tell individual rabbits apart (they have the same problem with humans) but his rather dull life starts to change (at some speed) when a rabbit from his own past moves in next door.

This is, on the surface, an amusing story about talking bunnies but satire is lurking nanometres below the surface. How do we react to those who we think are different to us? How violently do some people hate those they feel threaten the way of life they cherish? How far can you oppress a group before they fight back and what form should that fight take? The parallels with the modern political situation are pretty obvious. But still funny, obviously, because I'm fairly sure Jasper Fforde doesn't have any other way to be...

As always Fforde delivers a thought-provoking, funny and insightful tale. Witty and eccentric as only Fforde can do we learn about belonging and identity through the tales of anthropomorphic rabbits of the UK

Nunca sabes lo que te puedes encontrar en una novela de Jasper Fforde, lo mismo aparece un Neanderthal que te encuentras con un conejo antropomorfizado. O quizás la humanidad se enfrenta a unos inviernos larguísimos y se ceba en los breves veranos para poder hibernar. O incluso puede que clasifiquen a las personas en función de la cantidad de colores que pueden ver, siendo los que ven solo gris el tipo peor considerado.


Todo ello aderezado de ese humor británico que puede llegar a ser hilarante, pero también en ocasiones choca de manera frontal con nuestras expectativas. El humor es una de las formas de expresión más difíciles de traducir y de interpretar cuando los referentes no son comunes.

Sirva esto de advertencia al navegante. Se requiere un correo gusto por el humor típicamente británico para disfrutar plenamente de The Constant Rabbit.

Con esta advertencia en mente, la novela nos sitúa en un mundo donde hay conejos «humanizados» y también algún que otro animal de otra raza. Esto es consecuencia de un suceso del que no hay explicación alguna, pero que, lógicamente, cambia la historia.

Uno pensaría que un acontecimiento de esta magnitud que tuvo lugar en 1965 habría afectado a grandes decisiones políticas como el Brexit pero estaría equivocado. Los británicos se han ido Europa también en esta realidad. Y la reacción del público en general ante estos conejos no debería sorprendernos, por desgracia, se ven como parias que buscan arruinar la sociedad. El racismo impera por doquier.

Existe un miedo, que el autor deja claro que es infundado, a que la capacidad reproductiva de los conejos infle su población hasta superar la de los británicos. Es parte de una campaña de acoso y derribo esgrimida por UKARP (United Kingdom Anti-Rabbit Party), un trasunto de UKIP. Este partido ha logrado numerosas victorias contra los conejos, siendo la más relevante que no tengan la consideración de personas.

Las referencias a la desigualdad por parte del autor son constantes. Excepto algunos privilegiados, los conejos viven en colonias que asemejan campos de refugiados. No se les reconocen derechos pero sí que se les hace trabajar por un salario máximo (de hecho meten en la cárcel a empresarios si les pagan más). E incluso, en una de las acciones más odiosas del libro, está permitido su asesinato a manos de zorros antropomórficos si se cumplen unas determinadas cuotas.

No se puede decir que Fforde sea muy sutil en su comparación entre los conejos y la inmigración de países considerados como no deseables. Esta crítica salvaje se ve aderezada por una exploración de las costumbres de esta especie como los duelos, la necesidad de excavar para crear madrigueras, el veganismo radical y la asimilación del consumo de las zanahorias en exceso con el alcohol o las drogas, que proporciona un contrapunto divertido a un escenario bastante preocupante

Es un libro que denuncia desigualdades a través del humor, algo para nada fácil. Pero tampoco está exento de fallos, como la reiteración de tópicos y que el protagonista sea un pusilánime, algo que tampoco ayuda en la narración. La obsesión del protagonista con sus propios fallos y errores pasados y con la relación que tuvo en la universidad con una coneja, se mencionan con machacona insistencia durante la lectura. Y además el final va flojeando con una resolución que, si bien sorprendente, no resulta para nada satisfactoria.

En definitiva estamos hablando de una novela con una denuncia social a través del humor, pero es un humor específico que puede no ser de todos los gustos.

The Constant Rabbit</strong> is set in an alternate 2020 in the UK, in a little village called Much Hemlock. Fortunately, this alternate 2020 does not have a raging plague, but it does have over a million human-sized rabbits following an Inexplicable Anthropomorphising Event fifty-five years earlier. The United Kingdom Anti Rabbit Party are in power, trying to enact anti-rabbit policies like the enforced rehoming of rabbits to a new MegaWarren in Wales. It isn't a great time to be a rabbit, or a friend to rabbits. The village of Much Hemlock is very right wing and leporiphoic, and a family of rabbits are moving in.

Much Hemlock is very much like every insular, intolerant village you can imagine. They are tied to their own traditions and way of life and intolerant to anything that might impact upon that or change it in anyway. It is also home to an anti-rabbit extremist group, TwoLegsGood, an intolerant hate group whose views and arguments seem utterly ridiculous, and yet also very familiar from real life arguments in favour of Brexit

Peter Knox, a resident of the village considers himself a friend to rabbits. He certainly isn't leporiphobic like his fellow villagers, even if he does work as a Spotter for RabCot, helping to identify and apprehend rabbits doing anything even slightly undesirable. He is ashamed to tell people what he does, and he doesn't share the organisation's leporiphobic stance, but he doesn't challenge them either. His daughter, Pippa, is an absolute joy. She is smart and articulate, not afraid to stand up for what she believes, and she makes some brave choices considering the state of the world she lives in. I loved seeing Peter's development in the book and how he reflects on and challenges his own stance, realising the part he has played in oppressing rabbits. There are some important messages in there for all of us considering ourselves allies to any minority group.

He went to university with Connie, the rabbit moving in next door, who he meets again at a speed librarying event. This is exactly as bonkers as it sounds. It's one of my favourite scenes in the book; it's so absurd but you can picture it happening and the attention to detail in it is astonishing. Jasper's writing is always brilliantly detailed, the thought he puts into the small, background details never cease to amaze me. There is a very rich and detailed history of rabbit culture that Jasper weaves seamlessly into the narrative, and he's considered every detail right down to exactly why it is offensive to gift a rabbit a basket of washed carrots.

Another favourite part of the book for me was the court scene. I won't spoil it, but there is a court appearance where a rabbit is the defendant's lawyer but he is not qualified and appears somewhat lacking in legal knowledge, proclaiming that he has "found a boxed set of Judge John Deed" and watched it, so he absolutely knows what he's doing. I laughed so much at this.

Connie is an intriguing character and her motivations remain a mystery for most of the book; you're never quite sure how much she knows or how you stand with her. She is bold and appears unconcerned with the goings on of the village, very much living the best version of her own life, but there's always a little hint that there's more going on with her than you see.

Doc, her husband, was my favourite character. He is a very practical buck, and what you see is what you get. He's quick to anger, but also quick to apologise and move on. He is obsessed with people, Peter included, wanting to appropriate his wife (possibly with good reason). He is friendly to those who are friendly to him, although his obsession with duelling is a little unnerving. The duelling is an important part of rabbit culture and it becomes important later in the book, in a scene that utterly hurt my heart.


I've seen this book pitched as a Brexit novel, and it almost certainly is, but you could replace the rabbits in this group with any minority group and the story would still hold up. It is ultimately about the choices we make to support structures that oppress those unlike ourselves and challenges us to do better and to be better people. There's some real irony in the fact that the rabbits have to teach the humans what humanity is.
The Constant Rabbit</strong> is another brilliant novel from Jasper. He has long been a favourite author of mine, and this is genuinely one of his best books.

This book took me a while to get in to. I'm not sure if it was the writing style, the storyline or the amount of explanation/description used, but it took me a few chapters to settle in to the story.

After that, I really couldn't put it down. I ended up moving the writing style, found the story captivating and the explanations were much needed and appreciated.

If you've started to read this book and stopped after a chapter, I urge you to continue. It's definitely worth it. There's so much I'd like to explain, but I shan't because of spoilers

I will say, as well as being captivated, this book was so clever and delivered many a twist and turn i didn't see coming.

Jasper Fforde has a knack for taking the surreal and making it seem perfectly reasonable.

In his latest story, he starts with speed librarianism – highlighting the petty bureaucracy and corruption in (some!) local government – and moves quickly to anthropomorphic rabbits as an analogy for systemic, widespread racial and religious intolerance and the difficulties of cultural integration.

Whilst very humorous, the satire occasionally gets a little heavy-handed, as Fforde viciously skewers certain aspects of British society and presents scathing commentary on current affairs in the UK (pre-Covid), political and social. Adding to the realism of the events and worldbuilding in the story (if not the overall concept) are the plentiful footnotes, which provide history, context and other informative details about Fforde’s alternative UK, where humans and 6 ft anthropomorphic rabbits, and other animals, live uncomfortably side-by-side.

I thoroughly agree with the ideas behind this satire and share both Peter’s liberal views and failure to act decisively on beliefs until forced into it. Despite this, I never quite managed to connect with the characters and story here, and found that while it grew on me and reeled me in as events unfolded, it just never quite took off the way I had hoped it might.

The ending felt a little anticlimactic, but mainly due to the realistic attitudes and outcomes, and the moral tone left me feeling both sad and hopeful. If satire can help nudge society in a better moral direction, then I do hope Jasper Fforde’s rabbits are a small puff towards a better future!


'‘Maybe it’s the default position of humans when they feel threatened,’ I ventured, ‘although if I’m honest, I know a lot of people who claim to have “nothing against rabbits” but tacitly do nothing against the overt leporiphobia that surrounds them.’
‘Or maybe it’s just satire for comedy’s sake and nothing else,’ added Connie, ‘or even more useless, satire that provokes a few guffaws but only low to middling outrage – but is coupled with more talk and no action. A sort of… empty cleverness.’
‘Maybe a small puff in the right moral direction is the best that could be hoped for,’ added Finkle thoughtfully. ‘Perhaps that’s what satire does – not change things wholesale but nudge the collective consciousness in a direction that favours justice and equality. Is there any more walnut cake?’'

– Jasper Fforde, The Constant Rabbit


Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog

This was quite possibly one of the strangest concepts for a book I had ever heard so when I read the synopsis on Net Galley, I just add to request a copy of it. In an even stranger way however, Jasper Fforde almost makes this fantastical anthropomorphism seem perfectly plausible. By incorporating many popular culture references such as the Spice Girls, you feel as if this absurd society could be perfectly normal. Not only that, the issues facing the rabbits are real issues that are faces in our own fully-human society. The novel also acts as a commentary on Brexit and racism within our society. You begin to realise throughout the book that maybe it is the humans that have it wrong all along, something that a lot could be said about a lot of our ideologies. These messages aren’t completely in your face either which I liked, there is a subtlety to this book that you would not expect from such an extravagant premise.

The Constant Rabbit was also the third book of the humour genre I have read this year. I gave High Fidelity by Nick Hornby a one star and Salmon Fishing in the Yemen two stars so it is safe to say I do not have a good track record with the genre. I just didn’t find them funny. This book however, I am pleased to report, I did. It was just so quirky and the rabbits are so charismatic and bubbly that you can’t help but smile. Okay, maybe I wasn’t laughing out loud, but I still class this book as a step up from many of the other books I have read that are supposed to be funny.

In terms of characterisation, I think we get a good insight into our main protagonist, Peter Knox, as he has a very distinct narrative voice. It was nice to see his character development throughout, going from someone who is unconsciously leporiphobic (rabbit hating) to acceptance. Especially as we all strive to become actively anti-racist, this book is extremely timely. The rabbit and characters are also very well developed with clear personalities and really are very intelligent. I especially enjoyed that Jasper Fforde pokes fun of his own surname with the names of the Foxes which often features a pointless double f. All of these major characters were portrayed extremely well.

Nevertheless, the reason this book didn’t get a higher rating was because I felt the pacing was a little of. Even as the book went on and the stakes seemed to get higher, I didn’t feel any sense of urgency or intensity. The plot just seemed to travel on at a relatively slow speed the entire time. Not necessarily a deal breaker but I didn’t want to pick the book as much as I should have. I also was not entirely convinced by the romance that is featured within the book. There is something sweet about it but I felt that this did add an element of disbelief to an otherwise unusually convincing plot line.

Overall this was an enjoyable read. Despite the problems I just mentioned, it was a surprisingly heartwarming book with an interested commentary. I recommend picking it up if you are intrigued by the synopsis like I was.

On reading the premise for this book I was immediately intrigued... sci-fi with rabbits is always going to get me hooked!
As a huge fan of comedy and dystopian literature, I was really drawn into this story and hugely enjoyed it.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me access an advance digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

If you like Fforde's 'Shades of Grey', then you'll enjoy this not-so-gentle social satire. The traditional Fforde wordplay and literary allusion are present but with a lower profile than usual, taking back seat to the satire in this novel set in an alternate contemporary England where an unexplained Anthropomorphisation Event has resulted in a large population of human-like rabbits. Fforde is great at doing social philosophy through really enjoyable and entertaining novels, I'll be recommending this one to quite a few friends and family who would enjoy it.

Sex with rabbits a satire too far

Some of Jasper Fforde’s somewhat oddball, highly imaginative way of writing about social and political issues work absolutely brilliantly – Shades of Grey an exemplar.

In The Constant Rabbit, Fforde looks at some of our most unattractive little Englander, isolationist, divisive, biased racist tendencies and brilliantly exposes them by making ‘the other’ a different species, some kind of unexplained event which has resulted in the evolution of giant, sentient, warm-hearted, intelligent, English speaking rabbits. Nigel Farage and his bigoted ilk are shown up brilliantly, horribly, frighteningly, and repellently.

So far, so very good. However, where I began to falter, inevitably, was where the conceit had to break down – the love affair between a human and a rabbit could not help but appear to be straying into the territory of bestiality and unpleasant pornography, even though that was clearly not Fforde’s intention

I nearly faltered at the first hurdle here, finding the first few pages a little bizarre and difficult to follow. But that was over very quickly and, within a short space of time, this novel's world suddenly unfolded before me.
It has been a while since I read a Jasper Fforde and I had forgotten how well realised and immersive his stories are. This one was thoroughly enjoyable and kept me guessing throughout.
At heart this book is a clever satire, but if that is not your thing, the satire does not get in the way of the story. Fforde addresses some serious issues. How well he does that, given the level of humour and abundance of rabbits, probably depends on the reader.

Fforde's kay strength as an author is coming up with a premise and turning a surface-level idea into a wonderfully worked piece of fiction. My past reading of his have been more absurd crime-style investigatory books, where a character in an unusual world investigate a crime in that world. The world can unfold itself gradually over time and the story is fairly well structured.
In The Constant Rabbit, Fforde has taken the topic of racism and put it in a different setting. Due to an unexplained event, a number of animals were anthropomorphised, including a few rabbits, foxes, bears and elephants. True to their nature, that small population of rabbits has exploded and they now represent a large proportion of the population. Britain being what it is, there is a lot of ill-feeling toward these rabbits and this has made it's way into politics and societal changes. The government themselves are the UK Anti Rabbit Party, and there are a great number of restrictions on the rabbits' freedom of movement.
The book serves as a great analogy for historic racism and xenophobia that still remains in the UK and the western world as a whole.
The story itself only reveals itself gradually, it takes a long time to be set up and generally just unfolds. There is no real underlying plot from the off, it is the unfolding of a scenario.
To that end, I felt this book was a little more about the idea, and the effort put in to fleshing that out, and the story itself has suffered slightly. There are long sections of exposition throughout the book, and at times it does get a little boring.
Far from Fforde at his best, it is still a great funny book and a wonderful thought experiment and demonstration of the ludicrousness of xenophobia.