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A review by tubz99
Foxlowe by Eleanor Wasserberg
4.0
This book is a basically The Beach by Alex Garland meets Jack Ketchum's The Girl Next Door.
Let me just start off by saying that I am a horribly sensitive and empathetic person so I get easily attached to characters and emotionally involved in their lives. So I tend to avoid books like these because I know exactly where they’re headed…tears. But since this was provided to me through Harper Collins First Look Program (which is super cool!), I just had to start it right away.
This book was haunting and disturbing as you’d expect any other cult/commune story to be. It’s told as a memory through the protagonist Green, who narrates her story of growing up at Foxelowe, a commune like utopia created by a hand few of people. The first half is her looking back and the second of her in the present. I’d get confused a lot with ages and frames but aside from those minor details, the book was quiet a page turner. The narration is insightful and well written with dark elements of despair hidden behind such innocence. It kept me going even though I could guess where it would end and even then it left me in a state of defeat because no amount of wishing could prevent the inevitable. The diction used in the book is easy to grasp but most of the characters seize to be memorable. The ones I personally held feelings for, either feelings of anger or empathy, were Toby, Green, Blue and Freya. Freya’s character is someone who scares me more than any monster ever could because what makes her so frightening is the fact that she’s so real and people like her exist in this world.
I struggled a lot with my feelings towards the protagonist Green. Instead of empathizing with her like I felt I should have, I mostly felt frustrated and angry at her. It was hard to grasp her train of thought at times, where her mind was and how exactly Freya appeared in her eyes. The character that stuck to me the most was her little sister Blue.
Though Green’s voice in the first half is much different from the second, indicating a stark change in character, her actions and thoughts remain the same, which left me disappointed. Not necessarily disappointed in Wasserburg but in Green’s character. Before starting the book, my expectations of Green were much different than how she turned out to be. These expectations were instead reflected in Blue. This I thought was very interesting. For the story to be told from someone who is so dependent on a “utopia” like Foxlowe because it’s the only life she’s ever known, it really brings out the insightful harrowing nature of cults. Her brokenness is definitely reflected through the writing. I will say however that I still somewhat lack an understanding of the overall message of the book and wish there could have been more answers about the creation of Foxlowe, background on characters and at times, better dialogue.
Foxlowe is not a book I would recommend to just anyone. The last few pages were a difficult read for me and due to its dark and sensitive subject matter, I’d suggest only those brave enough to pick this book up haha. Despite, having said that, I did enjoy reading it especially because I’m picky with my readings. I got more than I bargained for with this one.
Let me just start off by saying that I am a horribly sensitive and empathetic person so I get easily attached to characters and emotionally involved in their lives. So I tend to avoid books like these because I know exactly where they’re headed…tears. But since this was provided to me through Harper Collins First Look Program (which is super cool!), I just had to start it right away.
This book was haunting and disturbing as you’d expect any other cult/commune story to be. It’s told as a memory through the protagonist Green, who narrates her story of growing up at Foxelowe, a commune like utopia created by a hand few of people. The first half is her looking back and the second of her in the present. I’d get confused a lot with ages and frames but aside from those minor details, the book was quiet a page turner. The narration is insightful and well written with dark elements of despair hidden behind such innocence. It kept me going even though I could guess where it would end and even then it left me in a state of defeat because no amount of wishing could prevent the inevitable. The diction used in the book is easy to grasp but most of the characters seize to be memorable. The ones I personally held feelings for, either feelings of anger or empathy, were Toby, Green, Blue and Freya. Freya’s character is someone who scares me more than any monster ever could because what makes her so frightening is the fact that she’s so real and people like her exist in this world.
I struggled a lot with my feelings towards the protagonist Green. Instead of empathizing with her like I felt I should have, I mostly felt frustrated and angry at her. It was hard to grasp her train of thought at times, where her mind was and how exactly Freya appeared in her eyes. The character that stuck to me the most was her little sister Blue.
Though Green’s voice in the first half is much different from the second, indicating a stark change in character, her actions and thoughts remain the same, which left me disappointed. Not necessarily disappointed in Wasserburg but in Green’s character. Before starting the book, my expectations of Green were much different than how she turned out to be. These expectations were instead reflected in Blue. This I thought was very interesting. For the story to be told from someone who is so dependent on a “utopia” like Foxlowe because it’s the only life she’s ever known, it really brings out the insightful harrowing nature of cults. Her brokenness is definitely reflected through the writing. I will say however that I still somewhat lack an understanding of the overall message of the book and wish there could have been more answers about the creation of Foxlowe, background on characters and at times, better dialogue.
Foxlowe is not a book I would recommend to just anyone. The last few pages were a difficult read for me and due to its dark and sensitive subject matter, I’d suggest only those brave enough to pick this book up haha. Despite, having said that, I did enjoy reading it especially because I’m picky with my readings. I got more than I bargained for with this one.