A young woman’s personal struggles help bring her impoverished community together in this poignant debut novel. Blandine Watkins is more interested in the lives of medieval mystics than her own tragic past. But when the traumatized orphan moves into the affordable-housing complex known as the Rabbit Hutch, an act of violence unites her hard-luck neighbors around her in a beautiful and mysterious way. Tess Gunty weaves a stunning and complex tapestry that centers Blandine and her depressed—and at times a bit bizarre—community, bringing in everything from a beloved television star to the writings of the 12th-century mystic Hildegard of Bingen. Poor Blandine has her own reasons for seeking enlightenment, but in Gunty’s assured hands, her faith—and the faith of those who care for her—is rewarded. Both realistically gritty and gorgeously transcendent, The Rabbit Hutch is a contemporary fable full of magic and love.
