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deathmetalheron's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Definitely a very thoughtful with a lot of thought out into its presentation. It's a very interesting story that dabbles with some hard topics, including intellectual disability and family rejection. The presentation is the most interesting part, I like to think the short pages with text in the middle symbolize the white wilderness of Iceland while on the hunt.
Its enjoyable and thoughtful but not outstanding--by the end I didn't get a "wow" effect so much as an "ah, okay." Not overly profound but unique at the very least.
I would recommend it if you want something that breaks up conventional writing and if you need a fast read (it's even shorter words wise than you'd expect 115 pages to be). I would also note that the magical realism/fantasy element is very, very light and I honestly wouldn't categorize the book as fantasy at all.
Its enjoyable and thoughtful but not outstanding--by the end I didn't get a "wow" effect so much as an "ah, okay." Not overly profound but unique at the very least.
I would recommend it if you want something that breaks up conventional writing and if you need a fast read (it's even shorter words wise than you'd expect 115 pages to be). I would also note that the magical realism/fantasy element is very, very light and I honestly wouldn't categorize the book as fantasy at all.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism and Confinement
Moderate: Animal death
sylvieleggatt's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
- Loveable characters? No
2.25
I hope foxes everywhere avoid this book
Content Warnings
Graphic: Excrement, Blood, Sexual assault, Ableism, Animal cruelty, Gore, Racism, Death, and Animal death
jennswan's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Gore, and Animal death
elly29's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
In parts I am stunned, and in other parts I am utterly bewildered.
I had no idea what I was getting in to, and I was met with a piece of literature that felt like Hemingway’s “Old Man and the Sea” mixed with George Saunders’ “Isabelle,” add a splash of some epic poetry, mix it all in a pot called Iceland, and then you get Sjón’s The Blue Fox.
It had me weeping at times — mostly at Abba’s treatment and Fridrik’s tenderness towards her. As a content warning, this story involves a woman with Down syndrome, and how she is treated by the community in 19th century Iceland (most babies with Down syndrome were killed and recorded as stillborn). It is a quick and spare story, solemn, too. It was beautiful, and difficult, and made me feel.
I was bewildered at Reverend Baldur’s visions in the glacier. I looked up more information on what The Blue Fox signifies, which was helpful — they are monsters in Icelandic folklore whose stare can kill you, and they are born from the mix between a cat and a fox. (Blue foxes are called Skugga-Baldur! He is Reverend Baldur Skuggason! Spoiler: he dies and becomes a blue fox himself, and it is perhaps saying something that a person like Baldur is reprehensible and has the wilderness inside him already, and his hubris against fox and nature leads to his death. Or maybe the fox is redemptive? I am so not confident about this. But he becomes Skuuga-Baldur.)
I liked it, though I wish there had been more supporting material. I read the translation by Victoria Cribb, and there was no translator’s note, nor footnotes, nor anything to give context to the novice reader of Icelandic literature.
I had no idea what I was getting in to, and I was met with a piece of literature that felt like Hemingway’s “Old Man and the Sea” mixed with George Saunders’ “Isabelle,” add a splash of some epic poetry, mix it all in a pot called Iceland, and then you get Sjón’s The Blue Fox.
It had me weeping at times — mostly at Abba’s treatment and Fridrik’s tenderness towards her. As a content warning, this story involves a woman with Down syndrome, and how she is treated by the community in 19th century Iceland (most babies with Down syndrome were killed and recorded as stillborn). It is a quick and spare story, solemn, too. It was beautiful, and difficult, and made me feel.
I was bewildered at Reverend Baldur’s visions in the glacier. I looked up more information on what The Blue Fox signifies, which was helpful — they are monsters in Icelandic folklore whose stare can kill you, and they are born from the mix between a cat and a fox. (Blue foxes are called Skugga-Baldur! He is Reverend Baldur Skuggason! Spoiler: he dies and becomes a blue fox himself, and it is perhaps saying something that a person like Baldur is reprehensible and has the wilderness inside him already, and his hubris against fox and nature leads to his death. Or maybe the fox is redemptive? I am so not confident about this. But he becomes Skuuga-Baldur.)
I liked it, though I wish there had been more supporting material. I read the translation by Victoria Cribb, and there was no translator’s note, nor footnotes, nor anything to give context to the novice reader of Icelandic literature.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism
Moderate: Abandonment, Toxic relationship, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Domestic abuse and Sexual assault
adriennne's review
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism and Animal death
Minor: Sexual assault and Rape
chrissysbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I don't really know where to put this book. It's challenging, raw and unlike anything I've read before. The words used to describe those with Down syndrome bothered me, but as the book is set in the 1880s, I guess the author used the time-appropriate phrases. I really enjoyed the plot twist at the end and especially hated Rev Baldur. I think I'll take a few days to process this book and I'm interested to see how others thought of it. Definitely worth a read, maybe I should reread it a little later to better understand the details of it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Gore, Religious bigotry, and Ableism
Moderate: Slavery and Blood
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