The White Hare

In this latest book, Johnson tells Gothic story that has family dysfunction, a touch of magical realism and is steeped in Cornish legends. It is 1954 and three generations of women move to a remote village on the Cornish coast where they have purchased a long neglected old house that they plan to renovate and make into a holiday retreat. But locals are wary of the house because of the ominous folklore surrounding it.

The story centres around Magda, her daughter Mila and Mila's five-year-old daughter Janey but it is Mila who narrates the story. I didn't love being limited to only her experiences and despite the tension from the familial dysfunction, the story was too slow burn of a read for me where not a lot happens until the last quarter of the book. If you regularly read my reviews, you'll know I'm not a fan of slow burn reads.

What I enjoyed most about this book were the secluded and sinister setting and the inclusion of Cornish folklore. But with its the meandering storytelling and the rushed and Goonie-esque ending, this book fell flat for me. While this was not my favourite book by this author (please check out her books The Sea Gate, Court of Lions and Pillars of Light), she remains an author that I'm excited to read and I look forward to what she comes up with next.

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to Simon and Schuster Canada for my advanced copy of this book which was provided in exchange for my honest review.

My Rating: 3 stars

Author: Jane Johnson

Genre: Historical Fiction, Gothic

Type and Source: eBook from publisher

Publisher: Simon and Schuster Canada

First Published: October 4, 2022

Book Description from GoodReads: For fans of Alice Hoffman and Kate Morton, The White Hare is a spellbinding novel about mothers and daughters finding a new home for themselves, the secrets they try to bury, and the local legends that may change their lives.

In the far west of Cornwall lies the White Valley, which cuts deeply through bluebell woods down to the sea at White Cove. The valley has a long and bloody history, laced with folklore, and in it sits a house above the beach that has lain neglected since the war. It comes with a reputation and a strange atmosphere, which is why mother and daughter Magdalena and Mila manage to acquire it so cheaply in the fateful summer of 1954.

Magda has grand plans to restore the house to its former glory as a venue for glittering parties, where the rich and celebrated gathered for cocktails and for bracing walks along the coast. Her grown daughter, Mila, just wants to escape the scandal in her past and make a safe and happy home for her little girl, Janey, a solitary, precocious child blessed with a vivid imagination, much of which she pours into stories about her magical plush toy, Rabbit.

But Janey’s rabbit isn’t the only magical being around. Legend has it that an enchanted white hare may be seen running through the woods. Is it an ill omen or a blessing? As Mila, her mother, and her young daughter adjust to life in this mysterious place, they will have to reckon with their own pasts and with the secrets that have been haunting the White Valley for decades.