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Staff Pick
In this quiet, respectful, and inspiring tome, Hamer uses moles as a framework for his philosophy on nature and life, incorporating prose, poetry and even illustrations. Part natural observation, part memoir of a life spent mostly outdoors, How to Catch a Mole is 100% delightful. Recommended By Leah C., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
An ABA Indie Next Selection
"An extraordinary book; I've read no other like it. Thank goodness Marc Hamer stopped killing moles and sat down to write."
Sy Montgomery, author of The Soul of an Octopus
At once a highly original memoir and an ode to the outdoors, this unexpected — and delightfully strange — book reveals, at its core, a rare vision of the natural world.
Kneeling in a muddy field, clutching something soft and blue-black, Marc Hamer vows he will stop trapping moles — forever. In this earnest, understated, and sublime work of nonfiction literature, the molecatcher shares what led him to this strange career: from sleeping among hedges as a homeless teen, to toiling on the railway, to weeding windswept gardens in Wales.
Hamer infuses his wanderings with radiant poetry and stark, simple observations on nature's oft-ignored details. He also reveals how to catch a mole — a craft long kept secret by its masters — and burrows into the unusual lives of his muses.
Moles, we learn, are colorblind. Their blood holds unusual amounts of carbon dioxide. Their vast tunnel networks are intricate and deceptive. And, like Hamer, they work alone.
Review
"A riot of quirkiness and eccentricity, and the mood of the book, which shifts from droll humor to melancholy to gentle vulnerability, is unclassifiable — and just right." Kirkus
Review
"Marc tells his story and explores what moles, and a life in nature, can tell us about our own humanity and our search for contentment."
Sunday Express
Review
"A beguiling mixture: part autobiography, part handbook, part travel book, part philosophical treatise. I'm happy to report that it succeeds on each level."
Daily Mail
Review
"Informative and effortlessly readable... Ultimately a reflection on humanity's fraught but sustaining relationship with nature."
Publishers Weekly
About the Author
Marc Hamer was born in the North of England and moved to Wales more than thirty years ago. After spending a period homeless, then working on the railway, he returned to education and studied fine art. He has worked in art galleries, marketing, graphic design, as a magazine editor and taught creative writing in a prison before becoming a gardener and mole-catcher.