The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
p. 371
Whoever says that foxes are a natural phenomenon like war and pestilence might well be right. But I’d like to think that we’re merely agents of change. Foxes, while often blamed as ill-omened creatures are the needle that lances a boil.”
This novel is a very readable story, both historical fantasy and mystery, filled with interesting Asian folklore regarding the nature of foxes and fox spirits…
“a drug that should be taken only in small doses.” ( p.324)
Vengeful, seductive, curious, and duplicitous these fox spirits can turn themselves into humans and wreak havoc. The author explains the background of the fox cult, which began in Northern China and spread to Korea and Japan. On the nature of foxes, she writes:
“Said to be uncontrollable, lustful and wicked, foxes were also considered fertility deities, healers and moral guides.”
p. 385
In old tales, foxes are masters of duplicity, hiding their beast natures behind charming faces … families that worship foxes are rewarded with stolen goods, spirited from other people’s homes…”
p. 83
In this story, Snow, a female fox spirit, or huxian, seeks revenge for her daughter’s death. She appears as either a small fox or a young, bewitching woman. Stories abound regarding female foxes appearing and living off the qi of those they seduce. I immediately thought of Jimmy Hendrix’s “Foxy Lady”. These female fox spirits are more than “little heartbreakers”.
Foxes, they say are wicked women.”
p. 2
Snow eventually crosses paths with Bao, a detective whose talent is to hear lies, which was brought on by an early encounter with a fox god. Bao is investigating recent murders and believes that fox spirits may be involved. As Snow journeys to avenge her daughter’s death, she becomes a servant to a wealthy widow. Unexpectedly, she reunites with two male foxes, Shiro and Kuro with whom she has a long and complicated past. Shiro is a male fox that often appears as a seducer. Women are drawn to him and become devoted and obsessed with him. This is common in Asian fox tales. For instance, this tale seems to explain a woman’s obsession with her lover:
There was once a merchant whose wife was possessed by an evil fox spirit. Appearing in the shape of a young man, he entered the woman’s chamber night after night until she was exhausted.”
p. 50
Shiro also appears as a “favorite son-in-law” ingratiating himself into wealthy families through friendship with a scholar and marrying rich sisters. He may have even instigated revolutions! Kuro is a male fox posing as a famous author. He once vowed to make a thousand-year journey with Snow. He is a much more benign presence, but women and men are inexplicably drawn to him.
They travel through Manchuria and into Japan. Along the way, they become involved in international political intrigue, and murder.
It is a story of grief, regret, and second chances- interwoven with Asian mythology. Choo kept my interest throughout this intriguing novel. I can’t wait to pick up her other books.
To read an interview with the author, click the link here.
To listen to an interview with the author, click the link here.
In a curious coincidence, a fox appeared in the previous book I read, “The Frozen River” by Ariel Lawhon. In that novel, the fox, according to the local Wabanaki people, was a symbol of wisdom and acted as a guide. According to the National Wildlife Federation, foxes are the most widely distributed carnivorous mammals worldwide. I am fascinated by the proliferation of fox folklore throughout different cultures.
Humans and things are different species, and foxes lie between humans and things, darkness and light take different paths, and foxes lie in between darkness and light.”
p. 30
Lovelearning 