One of the best books I've read in 2020

⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑  When you pick up a Jasper Fforde book you must know in advance that some strange things are likely to occur within its pages. Here, strange takes the shape of a rabbit as a spontaneous anthropomorphic event, which occurred in the 60s, gifts the planet with sentient human-like rabbits and other creatures too. They are roughly human height, stand on two legs, are rabid vegans, wear clothes, drive cars and duel when spouse appropriation is on the cards. A wise and peace loving culture, the rabbit way of life is meticulously crafted in The Constant Rabbit. As straightforward and lovely as that sounds, some people feel concerned that their green and pleasant land may soon be overrun by the swift breeding rabbits. Trouble rears its ugly head when Doc and Constance Rabbit move into the sleepy village of Much Hemlock. Peter Knox, the narrator of our yarn and part time speed librarian/fulltime spotter with the Rabbit Compliance Taskforce, knows Connie from uni, many moons ago. It's not a stretch to say he was smitten by the coquettish, feisty bunny.

In typical Ffordeian style this story is, by turns, hilariously funny, touching and smart as a whip. The timeliness of this novel couldn't be better as the underlying tensions of prejudice and bigotry are dealt with flawlessly - straight on with a sledgehammer, on for some, and with a delicate touch, for others. I've read most of his books and this is my absolute favourite. I was charmed from page one to the bittersweet end. It's not all fun and games, though heavy sarcasm and lots of cheeky asides deliver numerous chuckles. There are moments of anxiety, and even great concern, mixing with heartfelt gentleness and love. I was mildly tearful by the end.

The Constant Rabbit ticked all the boxes for me and left me feeling we could all benefit from the rabbit way of thinking. Thoroughly charming and wholly original, this is lighthearted enough to get me smiling during a pandemic and brilliant enough to be one of my top 5 for 2020 to date. Pure joyous delight! Thank you, Mr. Fforde.