"Watership Down" by Richard Adams

Watership Down has such a rich world-building, from its intricate internal mythology to its unique in-world language. Paired with Adams’ beautiful descriptions of the landscapes, he truly paints a complete and complex world that invites us to explore the meaning of human nature.

And so many aspects of human nature are looked at. There are so many rich metaphors that the reader could take into any direction: leadership, government, survival, nihilism, fatalism, bureaucracy, powerlessness, finding meaning in a cruel world, theology, mythologizing, folklore. I could make a career out of analyzing this book, despite the author claiming its “just a story about rabbits. And the vessels for these ideas come in the form of rich, in-depth characters like Bigwig, Hazel, Fiver, and the rest.

There are so many ways to approach this story, and I think that’s part of why I love it. Anyone can read Watership Down and find something wonderful insides its pages, even if it just is a story about bunnies.

Finally, I’d like to clear something up: Watership Down is not traumatizing. If anyone says it is, they’re remembering the movie, not the book. The novel is tame, thoughtful, and perfect for readers of all ages.