I knew this would be one of my new favorite novels within the first few chapters. The Fox wife is so beautifully written and balances a devastating and precarious story about foxes with a gut wrenching story of grief. Beautiful!

I felt like it started strong but then the main character kept explaining every little thing they felt. I actually enjoyed the detective's plotline more but it at first was a bit jarring switching between different characters. I felt the climax of the novel was a bit unsatisfying and character connections didn't really become clear until near the end which was likely intended but made me question why I needed to care about most the characters throughout the book. It was a fun read though with the mythological elements!

nobody does historical fiction with magical realism and derivations of mythology quite like yangsze choo does. i am quite the fan of her two previous novels and was eagerly awaiting this release. generally, i found the fox wife to be immersive and teeming with characters that help highlight the human condition and what comes of personal motivations. the character-driven nature of her stories is enriched by choo's uncanny ability to vividly portray the setting her novels take place in, which provide for a unique experience that keeps you hooked, even when the story takes its time to get the plot rolling.

this novel is advertised as part murder-mystery (and choo also mentions this in her author's note) and i think that part was done well. no loose ends and all the interweaving plot lines met conclusions that made sense for the plot. that said, it wasn't the most moving part of the story. intriguing, yes. but it's not the heart of the story, though i understand why it would be classified under mystery and such. personally, i loved the fox wife because it pushes longing at the core of its character motivation and how this manifests in different fronts of anger, apprehension, desperation, etc. it was so satisfying to see people unravel and be... human? a funny descriptor, considering half the protagonists are foxes, but all this makes it that more of a compelling read. choo's writing is able to make sense of such complicated emotions while having that careful balance with a rich plot, making it a wonderful tale of sincerity and fate.

all in all, it was easy to love this novel. not my favorite narrative voice from choo in comparison with her other two novels, but it lends itself into its own charm that works really well with the nature of the story. definitely recommend and i am so, so excited for anything else choo will put out in the future!

This is another striking story by Yangsze Choo. There are several threads to the tale, including a fox spirit named Snow on a personal quest and the story of a detective named Bao who has been hired to find the identity of a woman found deceased in the doorway of the restaurant. Folklore and myth play a large part in both sides of the story, and the two threads come together to create a poignant and beautiful resolution. (This review does not nearly describe the beauty and creativity of this book, but I accidentally deleted my original one, and now I am late for work.)

4.5 stars.

Snow wants to avenge the death of her daughter. She knows the guilty party, and will stop at nothing to see him dead. Snow won’t fail, because she is a fox.

This was a wonderful story of Chinese fox folklore that drew me in and kept me listening. I especially loved that the author read the audiobook. I highly recommend this book.