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naluminum's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Classism and Violence
Moderate: Murder, Toxic friendship, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Kidnapping and Confinement
liadh'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? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Death, Blood, and Grief
Moderate: Suicide, Animal death, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, Confinement, Violence, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Child death, Physical abuse, and Vomit
heini's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Trafficking, Grief, Confinement, Sexual harassment, and Child death
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Slavery, Animal death, and Animal cruelty
uranaishi's review
- 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: Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Violence, Death of parent, Child death, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Classism, Death, Mental illness, Medical content, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Fire/Fire injury, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Grief, Infidelity, and Murder
Minor: Body shaming, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Trafficking, Abandonment, Drug abuse, Kidnapping, Bullying, Cancer, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infertility, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Adult/minor relationship, Vomit, Pedophilia, War, and Alcohol
kingsteph's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Grief, Child death, and Death
Moderate: Pregnancy, Murder, Confinement, Sexual assault, Kidnapping, and Violence
Minor: Suicide
nukie19's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
There are a lot of high points but overall I felt this novel falls short of the high expectations that Choo set with her first two novels. The alternating viewpoints take a very long time to come together even though the two big reveals are pretty well choreographed early. She also spends some time explaining the Chinese folklore as events transpire, which is great for context but occasionally is a bit disruptive. Overall, a solid read for those who enjoy magical realism, especially in historical contexts.
Thanks to the publisher for providing an ARC through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.
Graphic: Kidnapping, Animal death, Confinement, Alcohol, Death, Child death, Blood, and Grief
queergoth_reads'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
4.5
This was an incredibly crafted tale. It's slow and steady and I was entranced by it. It is a tale of grief and vengeance and mystery. It was a heavy read at points but also fun and mysterious. The blending of Chinese fox mythology with a detective novel was so well done.
All the characters had such incredibly rich stores, even when they were a small part of the book and I think that really brought a lot of it to life.
Graphic: Violence, Animal death, Child death, and Misogyny
Moderate: Medical content, Confinement, and Misogyny
Minor: Fire/Fire injury
booksthatburn's review against another edition
- 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: Sexual harassment, Mental illness, Violence, Murder, Sexual content, Trafficking, Misogyny, Blood, Sexism, Xenophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Confinement, Vomit, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Animal cruelty, and Animal death
Minor: Torture, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Bullying, Terminal illness, Forced institutionalization, and Child abuse