An ambitious and mostly quite remarkable debut novel. The opening is one of the best you will ever read, even if it does not make full sense until you get to the end. Similar in some ways to Mary South's recent short story collection, at the heart of The Rabbit Hutch is an insight into contemporary dysfunctional America. Gunty depicts how people seek to find meaning in their lives, whether it is through self-validation (on social media), dependency, and vice, or even from reading the works of Hildegard von Bingen, a 12th-century nun. In a decaying post-industrial city, small acts of either mercy or criminality — and we see both — can get totally blown out of proportion. There is a slow and then sudden descent in this novel into chaos. At least there is catharsis, resolution, and the prospect of friendship promised at the novel's end. Gunty's book is divided into four parts, all told in the third person and using a variety of formats, including comic book-style cartoons. The Rabbit Hutch won't be for everyone, but I was deeply engaged for almost the entire novel. 9 out of 10.
By Tess Gunty