Book Review: The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo

Rating:⭐⭐⭐⭐

"I exist as either a small canid with thick fur, pointed ears, and neat to black feet, or a young woman. Neither are safe forms in a world run by men.”

Set in early 1900s Manchuria in the final years of the Qing dynasty, The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo his novel revolves around Snow/ Ah San as she embarks on a journey to find the man responsible for the death of her daughter. Her grief and quest for revenge take her across Manchuria to Japan and back. In the course of her journey, she enchants many and also encounters others like herself - with whom she shares history and as the narrative progresses, it becomes evident that her quest is not hers alone. Her journey intersects with that of Bao, an aging detective investigating the mysterious death of a young courtesan found frozen to death in the doorway of a restaurant. Bao is a loner who has a special ability to discern when someone is lying - a gift that renders him a successful investigator. Bao is intrigued when his investigation leads him to stories about the same young woman who seems to be searching for a photographer – the same man connected to his case. Bao also comes to know about the sightings of a fox near his crime scene – an omen he believes to be significant on account of the ancient beliefs about foxes and fox spirits that have been instilled in him since his childhood. As the story progresses and we get to know more about Bao and Snow, the events and people that have shaped their lives, it is only a matter of time before Snow and Bao inevitably cross paths.

Beautifully written with elegant prose The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo is a slow-paced character-driven novel with an element of mystery woven into a narrative steeped in Chinese folklore, emotion, wit, and magical realism. The narrative is shared from the perspectives of Snow (in the first person) and Bao. The strength of this novel lies in its characterizations and the vivid, immersive setting that transports you to Snow’s world of shapeshifters, myth, and secrets. Snow is a captivating character. She is emotional yet clever, driven, and headstrong, and her endeavors often land her in a predicament. In contrast, Bao is a quiet dignified man with meticulous attention to detail, intuitive and analytical but whose beliefs and firsthand experiences allow him to see the bigger picture in terms of the people and cases her investigates. Each of the supporting characters is well thought out, and though it was a bit difficult to keep track of all the characters, at no point did I lose interest or find the narrative difficult to follow. I will say that the mystery element often takes a backseat to the other aspects of the novel and the final resolution to the mystery was a tad underwhelming but there is a lot to like about this story and the characters. Overall, I found this novel to be a fascinating read.

I enjoyed reading the Author’s note, where she briefly discusses the beliefs revolving around Fox Spirits, the historical setting of this novel and much more.

I paired my reading with the beautiful audio narration by the author for a memorable immersion reading experience. Given the slower pace of the novel, the audio narration certainly enhanced my overall reading experience. I would suggest pairing the audio with the book or keeping the book handy as relying solely on audio might render following the large cast of characters a bit difficult.

Many thanks to Henry Holt and Co. for the ARC and NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.