With somewhat impeccable timing, this book could potentially be a seen as an ally to the current rising awareness of institutional (and apparent) racism. However, it is also a white man's guilt about things in which he has been complicit, if not directly involved. But above all, it is satire - whether its satire of a situation that is too fresh to be appropriate remains to be seen - and the book is fully aware that it is satirising the British phobia of all things 'other'.

Following the mysterious Event in 1965, there are now a number of anthropomorphised rabbits (and a few other animals) living in Great Britain. They're members of the community, but are still legally animals. Are allowed to work, but only to a maximum age. And organisations like the UKARP (UK Anti Rabbit Party) and 2LG (Two Legs Good) are convinced that they will multiply (like rabbits) to spread their agenda of rampant veganism, large litters and social discourse. How frightful.

What I really admire about Jasper Fforde's writing is his ability to research a topic widely and thoroughly and to bring in lots of nuanced (and funny) comparisons. Some of this might be hard to read for non-Brits, but the clear parallels between how the UK runs and the kinds of organisations that are around, and those mentioned in this book is quite honestly amusing. Not only that, but he's able to pick up on all of those references to rabbits in tv, literature and common sayings and really highlight how one animal in particular is viewed.

What can be harder to read is how rabbits are treated in this new world order. This book is clearly written as a (comic and satirical) response to how the UK and how certain groups and political parties respond to 'others' ie non-white, non-British. Using rabbits as a point is a great example and sets up a funny and frightening story that sees a rabbit family moving into a stereotypical English village that would much rather win the Spick & Span contest than host some 'bunnies'.

The main character, Peter Knox, is dragged around between different sides and arguments. He works as a Spotter (identifying rabbits that aren't easily notably different from other rabbits) for the Rabbit Compliance Taskforce (RabCoT). He justifies that what' he's doing is to keep his family comfortable and safe, and tries not to think about how his work is used. He hasn't had much reason to have contact with rabbits since his university days, but when an old rabbit friend moves in next door, he finds himself caught between the machinations of the village, the demands of the government and the quiet, peaceful response of the rabbits.

Peter is a typical Jasper Fforde character (from what I've read of his other books) - someone who doesn't necessarily choose what happens, and is often passively involved in the plot, but someone to whom things just end up happening. And that makes it funny too - he's not nasty or heinous, he's just ... sadly typical.

There are some really intelligent reflections and social commentary - not just around British culture but also about how a lack of cultural understanding can lead to huge prejudice and fear.

To me, this reads not only as satire of the English approach to things that are "not-English" but also of a white man's guilt. And that, as we've learned so recently, inaction is the same as being complicit. It's clever, but I fear what is intended to shine a light may be seen as mockery.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

The Constant Rabbit is set in the present day but in an alternative universe. Following "The Event" which took place in 1965 there are over a million human sized rabbits living in the UK. The speak like humans, work, serve in the armed forces, go to university and are, of course, strict vegetarians. However they are not totally accepted by the human population.
This felt very relevant to today and the current issues around racism. The satire is obvious, the imagination amazing but somehow this felt a little uncomfortable.

After the brilliant Early Riser, this is only the second book of Jasper Fforde I have read and now convinced I should be reading more.
Following the Event fifty years ago, a handful of animals where anthropomorphised. Amongst these where rabbits who have now become ingrained into British society, but continually met with bigotry and fear.
Settled in the village of Much Hemlock, Peter Knox works as a rabbit spotter and in his spare time is a librarian in the local library which due to efficiency and not Government cutbacks, only opens for six minutes every two weeks. Peter's life changes when Mrs Constance Rabbit, an old college friend moves into the house next door with her latest husband and her two children.
Through the absurdist situation, Frorde takes a satirical look at Britain as well as throwing in as many rabbit jokes possible. Even though there are some dark moments in The Constant Rabbit, it is a well humoured and funny book which occasionally becomes a poignant read.
I have to admit I enjoyed this as much as his earlier book and like that found it seemed to come its own and pick up the pass as you pass the halfway point. This is well recommended and amongst the rabbit puns, has many levels to it.

I was given an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I’m a big fan of authors like Terry Pratchet, Robert Rankin, Jasper Fforde, and Tom Holt. Books written within the realms of the ridiculous, that make me smile, definitely get my vote. So when a new book by Jasper fforde comes out, about a society of anthropomorphised rabbits, I’m definitely on board.

The premise is really interesting. Decades ago an unexplained event led to a bunch of rabbits morphing into humanoid form. They’re still rabbits in essence, but just the size of humans and with the ability of human speech. Well these rabbits bred like the proverbial rabbit, and cut to present day where there are millions of anthropomorphised rabbits living in Britain. Still being the ‘sub-species’ though they live and work in a lesser capacity than most humans.

This book is a very intricately woven story about the prejudices that the rabbits face, their efforts to overcome it, and their ultimate acceptance that things are never going to change.

Interspersed with the usual Fforde humour, where Humans are often reffered to as ‘Fudds’ (a reference to Elmer Fudd), and a detailed description of the ‘Beatrix potter’ clothing range. There are also some harsh ‘close to the bone’ observations. Our protagonist works for a certain government department as a ‘spotter’, his job is to go through the database and identify certain rabbits. It’s a special skill, as to most humans, ‘All rabbits look the same’.

At a time when the subject of racism is very much in the forefront of everyones minds and in the news every day, this is an interesting book. He’s not making light of the subject of racism, far from it. His jibes are more at the state of the UK and it’s various political and ethical issues.

For example, in the book there is a group called ‘TwoLegsGood’ a supremacist factor. This group, on finding out that a certain rabbit has committed an act that THEY consider a crime, drag him from his house in the middle of the night and ‘jug’ him! This involves upending him in a forty-gallon drum of cheap gravy that had been seasoned with bay leaves, celery, thyme, juniper berries and red wine (I see you smiling there!) It is later discovered to be a case of mistaken identity with TwoLegsGood showing no remorse, under the presumption he’s a rabbit and is bound to be guilty of something.

Funny right?

Now take out the fact the victim is a rabbit and the drum is filled with cheap seasoned gravy, and it’s not so funny anymore, it’s actually a serious and reprehensible crime.

That is the beauty of satire and the genius of this book.

A well thought out piece of satiric writing tackling the ‘hot potato’ subject of race. A light-hearted read with a serious message.

I’ve long been a fan of Jasper Fffffforde and his madcap sense of whimsy. The Thursday Next books could hardly have appealed to me more, with books acting as portals into their own stories. The opening quote of the new, non-series book, gave me false hope of more bookish fun – actually, ‘speed librarying’ suggested only anxiety, and plays little part in the story beyond the opening chapter.

Instead, we enter an alternate Britain which is about to mark the 55th anniversary of ‘The Event’: the time when several handfuls of rabbits anthropomorphised overnight. DNA tests cannot distinguish them from normal bunnies, but you wouldn’t get confused: the new lot, and several generations of their offspring, are tall as humans, vaguely human-shaped, walk upright, and can talk and think better than most of the people currently going to pubs in a global pandemic. Ahem, sorry 😉

The allegory isn’t particularly deep as we delve into rabbit-phobia and political parties gaining power by playing on the fears of the human population that the Rabbit is trying to take over, sideline our human way of life, breed us into a minority, etc etc. In fact, to begin with I wasn’t sure I was really up for this kind of story. However, sticking with it and Ffffforde’s storytelling is its usual wonderful self, mixing the wacky with the serious message, even if the latter does get a bit heavy especially towards the end.

This isn’t my favourite of the author’s work by a long stretch, but it was a lot of fun to read. And if he has a slightly more serious message under than capers than usual, well, I think we’re living in those kinds of times. Life probably would be better following the Rabbit Way – although I’ll hold on to my thumbs, thank you very much!

Recommended, but with that caveat that it isn’t wholly lighthearted, despite the 6ft rabbits.

This is an excellent satire and it talks about our world in a humorous and entertaining way.
Because this is a brilliant and entertaining story but also a story that talks about racism, sovranism and the difficulties of accepting those who are different.
The anthropomorphic rabbits are a strike of genius and you cannot help loving Fforde's amazing world building and humour.
i laughed a lot and was moved a lot as this is a story that you can love or hate but doesn't leave you on the fence.
A brilliant, engrossing and entertaining story full of food for thought, highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

My thanks to Hodder & Stoughton for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Constant Rabbit’ by Jasper Fforde in exchange for an honest review. It was published on 2 July in various formats.

“England, 2020. There are 1.2 million human-sized rabbits living in the UK.”

That teaser alone had me excited about this stand-alone satire by Fforde. As I began reading it on publication day, I bought its audiobook edition, narrated by Andrew Wincott, and listened alongside reading the eARC.

Given its broad humour and satire it worked very well in the audiobook format. I lost count of the number of times that I was dissolving in tears of laughter.

The reason that there are 1.2 million human-sized rabbits in the U.K. is that 55 years ago the Inexplicable Anthropomorphising Event occurred and eighteen rabbits were transformed into rabbit/human hybrids. They can walk, talk and drive cars. They also have their own rich culture. Over the years their numbers have grown, which is of concern to some humans.

When a family of rabbits moves into the cozy little village of Much Hemlock, the villagers are not pleased and are determined that they must leave. However, their next door neighbours, Peter Knox and his daughter Pippa, are more welcoming. In actuality Peter had known Mrs Constance Rabbit when they were at university.

Peter is in a difficult position as he is employed by the Rabbit Compliance Taskforce (RabCoT) as a Rabbit Identification Operative (aka Spotter), a human with the rare ability to tell rabbits apart. He is expected to be leporiphobic, but the good pay and benefits led him to disguise his positive feelings about rabbits.

With the Anti Rabbit Party (UKARP) in power there is a plan for the enforced rehoming of all rabbits to a MegaWarren in Wales. There are also a number of Hominid Suprematist groups, the most violent of which is TwoLegsGood (2LG).

It isn’t a great stretch to understand what aspects of modern society are the target of Fforde’s satire. While ‘The Constant Rabbit’ is extremely clever and funny, its underlying message is a powerful one.

At one point Peter, Constance, and Patrick Finkle, a human founder member of the Rabbit Support Agency (RabSAg) discuss the role of satire: whether it is just “empty cleverness” or something more. Finkle reflects: “perhaps that’s what satire does - not change things wholesale but nudge the collective consciousness in a direction that favours justice and equality.”

So alongside the laughs and whimsy there are insights and wisdom and plenty of nudges in the direction of justice and equality. Fforde includes handy footnotes to clarify certain points of history and the like.

I could easily see this being heralded as the ‘Animal Farm’ of the 21st Century.

This was just wonderful, thought provoking and very highly recommended.

Peter Knox lives in a world where the Event resulted in rabbits becoming anthropomorphised - they are now over six-feet-tall and like to duel with pistols.
Most rabbits live in colonies, but some are permitted to live outside the colonies, like Doc and Constance Rabbit, Peter's new neighbours who have the quiet village of Much Hemlock in uproar.
The government sees the rabbits as pests, and Peter himself works as a Rabbit Spotter, using his talent to differentiate rabbits to catch those pretending to be someone else.
Peter has never thought of himself as leporiphobic (anti-rabbit), but he has never really done anything to aid the rabbit cause. Until now.
Peter finds himself caught between the rabbits and his employer.
Will Peter take a stand?

When reading the blurb for The Constant Rabbit I was most definitely intrigued, but I also wondered if this might be the one Jasper Fforde book that I might not enjoy - talking rabbits living in the UK seemed a bit of a stretch even with the author's genius imagination. However, I ended up really enjoying this and am very glad that I read it.
The protagonist, Peter Knox, lived a pretty mundane life until his new neighbours arrive. I couldn't help but like Peter and I felt a bit sorry for him when he was thrown in the deep-end and into crazy situations.
I wasn't sure I would be able to picture the rabbits as the author intended, but I did and I loved their traditions and how much the author had developed their culture.
While the plot did take a little while to get going, I enjoyed it and the storyline held my attention. I loved how the author always drops in the odd bit of foreshadowing here and there to keep you intrigued. I was surprised how invested I felt in what was happening. I found myself smiling a lot and laughed out loud several times.
The themes in The Constant Rabbit are very relevant right now and I found it very interesting how they were explored.
Jasper Fforde's books are always incredibly intelligent, witty and unique, and this was no different. The Constant Rabbit has firmly cemented Fforde's place as my favourite author. Only he could have come up with an idea as unlikely as this and make it work.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read that I would definitely recommend.

Witty. Insightful. Compelling. Fiendishly well written... Everything you have come to expect from a Jasper Fforde book. A little more satirical and politically-charged than his previous novels, the book draws many parallels with life in Brexit Britain and an increasingly polarised society. You have to be patient for the hallmark twists of fate and Fforde’s complex plot to reveal itself, but this is still the best book in this genre that I have read all year. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to review this book.

(I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review)

I’ve adored Jasper Fforde’s work for years, and love how clever and succinct his writing is. Sometimes subtle, sometimes hitting you in the face with it, but always with an undercurrent of humour and intelligence. ‘The Constant Rabbit’ is no different.

While similar in some ways to his Thursday Next series (alternate settings and absurd premise), the political and ‘racial’* content is completely new. Despite his usual tongue-in-cheek references, and occasional absurdity (addiction to carrots, bounding through someone’s house for a short-cut, and nicknames such as ‘Flopsy’, ‘Miffy’ and ‘Maccie-G’s’) the similarities to the racial discrimination happening today is incredibly close to the bone.

*rabbit discrimination

Peter Knox is a Spotter for RabCoT (Rabbit Compliance Taskforce), and after a particularly difficult day at work finds his life turned upside down when a rabbit he knew from years before turns up with her family and moves in next door. His boss is a fox, his colleague a weasel, and everyone around him hates rabbit. Well, they don’t hate rabbit, they just don’t like it when they move into their village and tear up the manicured lawns for their vegan propensities (possibly taking them out of the running for this year’s ‘Spick and Span Village’ award). And that ‘bunny’ with the tag on his ankle for getting caught burrowing (allegedly); rabbit like that don’t belong in this village. You know the type, right? Well, the country is full of people with the same ideas, and they can’t wait until the MegaWarren is finished so that all the rabbit in the UK can go and live there. The sooner the better.

I really enjoyed ‘The Constant Rabbit’, and have already added it to my book club’s ‘to read’ list for later in the year. I’ve missed Mr Fforde’s work recently, and this book shows he’s still ready and raring to go (although Thursday is still too far away for my liking!). *raises a glass of dandelion brandy* Cheers, Mr Fforde *falls over drunk*

Another classic Jasper Fforde novel - easy to understand and enjoyable to read if you’re into his style of fantasy fiction, but impossible to explain the storyline without sounding slightly out of your mind!

A Spontaneous Anthropomorphic Event, in the sixties, led to rabbits (and a few other species) to become humanised, at least in size. They still exhibit all the usual rabbit characteristics, which leads to discord with the human world,

Peter Knox works for the Rabbit Compliance Taskforce, who are trying to identify and capture rabbits who commit crimes. At the same time, he’s rebuilding his friendship with Connie, a rabbit he knew at college. As tensions between humans and rabbits increase, Peter finds himself increasingly at odds with his colleagues and associates in the Herefordshire village where he lives.

I loved the homage to George Orwell, with the supremacist group TwoLegsGood, standing up for human rights! I’m not sure I really understood much of what was going on, and I got very confused with all the characters and different rabbit ‘stock’, but overall it’s an enjoyable read, if you don’t mind suspending reality for a while.

We’re 20% through the 21st century and this is the first classic I’ve read. I mean a real classic – the sort of book that will be read in fifty or a hundred years’ time. When I finished reading it, I realised what it must have felt like to receive a review copy of Animal Farm in 1945. What a privilege but impossible to do it justice in a short note like this.

Fifty years before the novel starts, there was the Spontaneous Anthropomorphic Event, during which a number of laboratory animals transformed into humans. Whilst the rabbits have adopted human characteristics: speech; walking on two legs; clothing; etc., and are mostly gentle, articulate, polite and tolerant, the human reaction has been mixed. Nigel Smethwick, the Prime Minister, has risen to power by tapping into people’s fear and hatred of the rabbits.

Peter Knox, the narrator, is a timid member of the Rabbit Compliance Taskforce staff. He has a rare gene that enables him to recognise and distinguish rabbits in the same way that we recognise and identify individual humans. His job is to identify rabbits wanted by the authorities; and rabbits who are trying to pass themselves off as someone else. He knows that such rabbits are punished and that he is thus supporting a tyrannical regime, but he worries about losing his job and being unable to support his dependent wheelchair-bound daughter. (As an aside, I loved the way Fforde let us know she uses a chair, without ever coming close to stating the fact, in three sentences scattered through the book.) That regime wants to forcibly re-house all rabbits to a purpose-built MegaWarren – effectively, a prison.

A family of rabbits move in next door and Peter realises that he had a soft spot for the mother, Constance, when they were at university together, many years earlier. The rest of the village consider that allowing one family to settle will lead to the neighbourhood degenerating with the place being overrun by rabbits. The book narrates the escalation of the tensions at micro- (village) level and macro- (national) level, with Peter being at the heart of both.

Fforde uses rabbits as a metaphor for the “other”. The book shows how human thinking and behaviour can easily be nudged into “us and them” grooves with the corresponding “If you’re not with us, you must be against us” attitude. Even the vicar raids the church-roof fund to bribe the rabbits into leaving. Other reviewers call the book hilarious. I disagree: I found it chilling. There is humour and yes, the footnotes are hilarious, but they don’t reflect the current action. This is satire. This book is closer to Animal Farm, 1984 and Lord of the Flies than to hilarity.
#TheConstantRabbit #NetGalley

Super quirky and filled with the wonderfully eccentric Fforde humour and storylines. This was a refreshing break from the reading norm and a great standalone book. I usually only read the Thursday Next Fforde series but this has opened my eyes to his wider works. Thoroughly enjoyed this!

This is your typical Jasper Fforde. Weird, edgy, often hilarious. The alternate world we are taken into this time is one that is gloriously absurd and painfully real with the political and social satire as ncisive and deft as ever: all hallmarks of a novel by Fforde. He is a master at creating off-kilter realities that use our own world as a jumping off point and he packs this novel with plenty of meat leading to re-reads an enjoyable must.

Brilliant. Funny, satirical and current. This is the first Jason Fforde book that I have read and I will definitely be reading more.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

The Constant Rabbit by Jasper Fforde
I have read and enjoyed Jasper Fforde novels for many years and they never disappoint. This is an enjoyable satire and I particularly enjoyed the opening which satirises library cuts by having libraries only open for 6 minutes with only one full time librarian employed and a host of volunteers; maybe too close for comfort. The political party run by Nigel Smethwick is a spoof on the Brexit party and instead of Brexit we have Rabxit.
It also takes a good swipe at racism in the way in which Rabbits are treated. Mrs Constance Rabbit moves into the village of Much Wenlock; which causes much consternation amongst the villagers who are up for the prestigious Spick and Span award. Parts of it are laugh out loud funny but there is a very serious message which underlies the humour. He makes fun of all the things which dominate our lives at the moment:- fake news, Brexit, racism, privilege etc.
I recommend this book to those who have been feeling bereft since reading their last Thursday Next literary detective novel and if you have yet to try Jasper Fforde I envy you, you have a whole back catalogue of great reads to enjoy. I would like to thank Jasper Fforde, the publishers and Net Galley for the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley for the review copy of this book.

Excuse the pun but Jasper Fforde pulls the rabbit out the hat with this one. Is there anything that he can't write about. As bizarre as his subject matter is in this book, he brings it all to life and it is utterly believable.

The whole world he creates around rabbits becoming life size and communicable creatures is wonderful, with its own idiosyncrasies, quirks and even it's own hstory in human society.

The humour that is brought in with this world does not stop, which is so evident in Fforde's other books, although the book does touch on the societal world problems of racism and ignorance which is quite poignant in our modern times.

I was a little sad when it ended as I had to return to the real world. Thank you Jasper for letting me 'hop' into another world for a little bit.

The synopsis for The Constant Rabbit worries me because I love Japer Fforde but I do not love novels that hit you over the head with “issues”. I do like a subtle issue here and there so that I feel as if I am growing as a person and becoming a well rounded adult but I don’t want to be preached to. Thanks all the same. That said The Constant Rabbit is like Dear White People, Roald Dahl and Beatrix Potter got together and had a beautiful mixed up baby. What’s not to like about that?
Yes Ffrode is writing an extremely thinly veiled satire about Important Issues but it’s couched in his usual cartoonish world building whichever makes it enjoyable to read.
Our hero is middle aged and mild mannered - he’s lived a life and he’s comfortable with it but when the rabbits move next door he has to examine actions of his past, how he lives and works more closely and decide if living comfortably is worth it at the cost of others.
The rabbits are lovely especially Doc who most certainly is “not rubbish enough”. I would have liked to see more of how they lived, they were kind of glossed over and they had a get out of jail free card with the all seeing wise rabbit. Mr Fox is absolutely appalling which is just what you want in a baddie. Taking out people’s eyes and all sorts. What a wrong ‘un! Don’t stand for it people! Rise up with fists! Fight the power!

This was typical Jasper Fforde all the way through. As other have quite rightly said, he has a talent for taking something so absurd and pulling it off totally and utterly convincingly. In this book we meet the rabbits, spawned from the event. Like most new species (and I call them new but maybe evolved is better) there are good and bad. But they are hard to distinguish as they all look so similar so that results in the need for people with special identification skills... you get the picture... We also have rabbit lovers, rabbit haters and all things in between... And... libraries are only open for six minutes so we have some serious extreme book borrowing going on too...
That's really all I can say about the story as you really need to discover each and every delicious element as the author intends...
All the way through it's peppered with some really great humour, varying from light to dark and all things inbetween. Occasionally a bit lame, but that works too... Basically it's bonkers start to finish.
But in among all the fun and frivolity there are also a few hard hitting things to think about. Some of which are quite prevalent in the times in which we live at the moment. Inclusion, prejudice, etc etc... All handled in quite a clever way all told.
It did take me a fair while to really get into the world in which the book is set. I also had to make some notes along the way as I got a bit lost in things a couple times and had to go back and re-read. There was never a point where I was prepared to abandon ship and I suggest that if you struggle maybe you do likewise. It's a book that now I have read it once, I will re-read so I can fully digest it.
My thanks got to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Jasper Fforde's stand-alone book is a brilliant satire based in our world - but different. Fifty-five years ago a "Spontaneous Anthropomorphising Event" turned a number of rabbits, foxes, weasels and other animals into human-like versions of their former selves. They and their descendants are able to talk, read, drive cars, wear clothes yet retain their own culture, language and dietary preferences. No-one knows why this happened but it's not just in the UK - with bears shooting hunters in Oregon and elephants running for political office in Kenya, most governments run a secret "destroy on first contact" policy for the newly transformed.

The book is full of up-to-date political and societal satire, and is hilariously funny yet at the same time touches on some very serious subjects such as discrimination and tolerance of racism. It will make readers think about what "doing nothing" really means, as this is a major theme. We follow Peter Knox, a talented 'rabbit spotter' as he becomes increasingly disillusioned with his role and the state of society until circumstances force him to choose a side and take action.

I loved the humour in this book - UKARP (UK Anti-Rabbit Party) wanting to make the rabbits pay for a wall around their mega-warren, the prime minister "quoting Latin in a fatuous and pretentious manner" and the Rehoming of Rabbits in Wales (aka Rabxit) referendum being won by a slender majority with half the country not bothering to vote.

In summary, the book is intriguing, funny, original and very clever. My only disappointment was not finding out what happened to the bees.