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uranaishi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Graphic: Confinement
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, and Classism
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infertility, Pedophilia, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail
skyebird16's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Child death, Sexism, Grief, Murder, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
lexcellent's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Child death and Violence
Moderate: Death, Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
tofublock's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
Graphic: Child death, Death, Blood, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Trafficking
Minor: Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent
hamohero's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Drug use, Infidelity, Mental illness, Vomit, Toxic friendship, and Classism
crystalisreading's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Chronic illness, Sexism, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Genocide and War
internationalreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Death, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
booksthatburn's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
THE FOX WIFE is a story of grief and reconnection, telling a small section in the life of a fox named Snow whose child was killed for the sake of a photographer's art.
Snow is a thoughtful narrator, relaying her contemporaneous thoughts as best as she can, but sometimes hinting at the trajectory of events that haven't quite transpired in the narrative. She is grieving her child, and leaves the grasslands to track down the photographer who desired a fox pelt as a prop for his photos. Snow's perspective is alternated with that of an amateur investigator, Bao, who has been able to sense lies ever since his nanny prayed to a fox spirit during a childhood illness of his. Contrasting with Snow's chronological telling of events, the sections following Bao connect pieces of the narrative on a thematic level. Some deal with his childhood, particularly his friendship with a courtesan's daughter. Others follow him in his twilight years, contemporaneous to Snow's telling, with a whole life and marriage behind him, using his lie-sensing abilities to solve mysteries for people. What begins as an attempt to identify a dead woman turns into a meandering quest into rumors of foxes, and one particular woman who disappeared from a walled garden.
The worldbuilding is relayed through conversation and Snow's observations, as well as Bao's thoughts. Snow tends to explain a fox's perspective on human things a contemporaneous reader could be expected to know, which works neatly to give insights into both Snow and the historical setting. There's an attention to the ways that women and girls are restricted for the sake of men's whims. The narrative is filled with wives, concubines, courtesans, and even girl-children who are treated according to their future matrimonial prospects (or lack thereof). Even Snow is most often called a nickname based on being the third servant to work for her eventual mistress. She is wary of male foxes, as human sexism translates into easier lives for them and more danger for her if she's caught up in their schemes.
The three narrative strands weave together to tell a complete story. I was able to figure out many connections and identities by having access to all three perspectives. Bao, the detective was usually the last one to figure out exactly what fox-related thing was happening, but that's because he doesn't know if transforming foxes (like Snow) are real. Snow, for her part, isn't ready to talk about the more painful aspects of her recent history, so the reader must piece together what happened before the book started by combining what Bao finds with what Snow tells of foxes. It had a mystery feel without being an outright whodunnit for the reader.
I know a book is great when it heavily features a theme I dislike or personally don't relate to but I love it anyway. Anyone who can make me love a book about being a grieving mother has done something very special. It handles this topic with care, gradually saying more of what happened to her child as Snow is able to process her grief. I was drawn back to it, finishing it in less than a week as I needed to know what would happen next. A third of the way in there was a plot point that in other books would have been wrapping things up, but instead the narrative blossomed in unexpected and very welcome ways. I would happily read more with Snow (or any other foxes) if the opportunity presented itself, but this story feels complete and is very satisfying.
Graphic: Child death, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Confinement, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Trafficking, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Bullying, Child abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, and Forced institutionalization