Sarah's Reviews > The Rabbit Hutch

2.5 rounded up

Ugh, remind me not to form views on books based on overly promising opening chapters!

This "fiercely original"* novel is getting a lot of press in the UK after winning the inaugural Waterstones debut fiction prize. The novel follows a handful of residents of La Lapinière Affordable Housing Complex - known by its residents by the English translation of the name, The Rabbit Hutch. The character who we spend most of our time following is Blandine, an 18 year old high-school dropout.

I'm finding it a little difficult to describe the plot without giving away spoilers, but the story (and characters) is kind of offbeat and strange... just not in a way that makes it particularly interesting and felt like it was covering up for a lack of substance. It's hard to explain. I had a few issues with the book overall: As my GR friend Jennifer has said, Blandine is *the* ultimate Manic Pixie Dream Girl; almost unbearably so. She feels like some kind of cipher through which the story is told and very much like a character in a story as opposed to a real person. I did not get the point of the Moses plot at all either, and Bladine's housemates and their story line held no interest for me.

So why three stars? Despite all over the above I found this novel hard to put down. There were some great lines (when the writing didn't feel too self-conscious) and the Tiffany/James story line was well done. I loved Joy's character too and wish there were more of her chapters.

Gunty's writing and storytelling holds great promise, and I'll definitely check her next book out despite my misgivings about her debut.

* The words of Waterstones' head of fiction, Bea Carvalho (not mine)

Thank you Netgalley and Knopf Doubleday for the advance copy, which was provided in exchange for an honest review.