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A review by emmaginethat
Mr. Fox by Helen Oyeyemi
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
the author jumps between the story of mr. fox, an author who’s muse manifests physically, to his short stories. the muse, mary, pushes mr. fox, challenging him to create stories where his female characters actually survive — not something he knows how to do. one of my favorite characters in this was daphne, mr. fox’s wife, who first sees mary as her competition, but slowly you see the similarities between the women and how they can liberate each other.
mary eventually becomes a person of her own, leaving the fox’s, which is what all creators should hope from their works. daphne learns to complain and have expectations for her treatment, not just bending to mr. fox’s whim as he had “fixed her” to early on.
my favorite part of this book was the seamless jumps between the overarching story and the short stories. the short stories varied so much in their setting and the lives of the people being told but always in a consistent and caretaking voice. the author explores stories from egypt, nigeria, etc., tying in themes and magical realism consistent with each of them.
mary eventually becomes a person of her own, leaving the fox’s, which is what all creators should hope from their works. daphne learns to complain and have expectations for her treatment, not just bending to mr. fox’s whim as he had “fixed her” to early on.
my favorite part of this book was the seamless jumps between the overarching story and the short stories. the short stories varied so much in their setting and the lives of the people being told but always in a consistent and caretaking voice. the author explores stories from egypt, nigeria, etc., tying in themes and magical realism consistent with each of them.