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A review by xandrarama
The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo
3.0
3.5 stars. A delightful blend of folklore, historical fiction, and very low-key (but still satisfying) romance. There’s also a detective story element to this book but for me, that was the weakest component.
The book employs dual-POV narration, with the titular fox wife’s chapters in the first person and the human detective Bao’s chapters in the third person. Bao was a sympathetic character and his interior life interesting enough, but the fox’s perspective on life and the human world made the Snow-narrated chapters stand out.
The mystery plot integrating Bao’s and Snow’s stories did not capture my attention. Because so much of the book was centred on this detective story, it felt like a very long read to me even though it’s not an overly long book. I was not captivated by either the mystery or its resolution; I was left with a feeling of, That’s it? Snow’s and Bao’s personal journeys were much more compelling.
The first 20% of the book kept me turning the pages, and I found the last 40% increasingly gripping, but that big chunk in the middle just dragged for me and looking back, I’m not convinced much of it needed to be there. However, I really enjoyed learning more about Chinese fox mythology and early 20th century life in northern China and Japan, and I liked the author’s writing style - straightforward, incisive, and often dryly humorous. I’m glad I read this book and I will seek out other books by this author.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
The book employs dual-POV narration, with the titular fox wife’s chapters in the first person and the human detective Bao’s chapters in the third person. Bao was a sympathetic character and his interior life interesting enough, but the fox’s perspective on life and the human world made the Snow-narrated chapters stand out.
The mystery plot integrating Bao’s and Snow’s stories did not capture my attention. Because so much of the book was centred on this detective story, it felt like a very long read to me even though it’s not an overly long book. I was not captivated by either the mystery or its resolution; I was left with a feeling of, That’s it? Snow’s and Bao’s personal journeys were much more compelling.
The first 20% of the book kept me turning the pages, and I found the last 40% increasingly gripping, but that big chunk in the middle just dragged for me and looking back, I’m not convinced much of it needed to be there. However, I really enjoyed learning more about Chinese fox mythology and early 20th century life in northern China and Japan, and I liked the author’s writing style - straightforward, incisive, and often dryly humorous. I’m glad I read this book and I will seek out other books by this author.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.