Customer Reviews

The Fox Woman

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

In Kij Johnson's fantasy novel, The Fox Woman, she blends Japanese folklore with a style of poetry that is both traditional and clearly her own. The story, one of a nobleman and his family who move to the country, is told in three voices: Yoshifuji (the husband), Shikujo (the wife), and Kitsune (a fox). Making these voices more intimate is the fact that they are from three diaries, making them honest, strong, and beautiful.

When Kaya No Yoshifuji and his family move to the capital, it upsets two sets of lives, those of his family and those of the family of foxes that have been living underneath the unused country house. Kitsune, the fox, looks on these strangers with a sense of longing and wonder, unable to understand their human ways. Soon her obsession reflects in Yoshifuji, who becomes obsessed with the foxes living near his home. As Kitsune's obsession grows, she falls in love with Yoshifuji and seeks to use fox-magic to transform herself into a woman to obtain his love.

Woven into the story is a wonderful collection of poetry. Yoshifuji and his wife trade poems in a custom that is difficult for Kitsune to understand. So it may also be for the readers of fantasy who are not well-versed in reading poetry. Yet, readers should neither ignore nor underestimate these lines. The simple words are beautiful, as the poem that Yoshifuji writes on the surface of a fan his wife left behind: "The spider's web can catch the moonlight, / but cannot keep it."

The poetry is an intricate part of the novel, not only for its beauty but also for its importance within the story. Yet, it is not only the poetry within the novel that keeps the reader entranced, but the poetry of the novel. The lives of the characters are reflected in the seasons, their surroundings, and even in the spider web that Yoshifuji refuses to have swept away from his room. The novel reminds the reader of the poetry of life, and the beauty that exists in all things.

Kij Johnson does a masterful job of writing a fantasy story that is a love story, a fable, and a poem. As her first novel, it is a wonderful promise of things to come.

This is one of the most moving and beautiful books I have ever had the pleasure to read. And I'm not alone in saying so: The December 20 Publishers Weekly gives The Fox Woman a starred review and says, "it establishes [Kij Johnson] as one of SF's most remarkable stylists."

The Fox Woman is about love, poetry, and what it means to be human, even if told in part from a magical fox's point of view... or, perhaps, especially so. It is the story of a young fox who falls in love with a man in Eleventh-Century Japan, and then her triumphs and troubles when she desires to become a woman. It is also about a man, spurned from Imperial Court, who must learn what it means to be a man; and his wife, who probably learns the most during the course of the novel.

Johnson's use of language is masterful; her words (though the same ones you and I use) are magic, profoundly moving the reader while evoking a rich and exotic environment.

A must-read! You won't be disappointed. Oh, and the presentation is just gorgeous, too (nice cover, good use of calligraphy) -- a great gift.

Kij Johnson's The Fox Woman transports you into the heart of Heian Japan, and the hearts of some of the most engaging characters ever written. It tells the story of a man, a woman, and a young fox discovering their intertwined destinies in the real world, and in a magical world of wonderful illusion where a den in the earth can be a lovely country estate, and a fox transfixed by love can be a beautiful woman. The settings are historically accurate and (more important) so real you can reach out and touch them. The prose is exquisite -- there's no better word, and the author's masterful sense of story will immerse you in her world as few writers are able to do. This book will break your heart, and you'll be glad for it, I promise you.

The Fox Woman is a tale of yearnings, of the heart-rending beauty and sadness of being human, yet not knowing what it may cost, nor what it truly means. All this told from the point of view of a love-struck vixen - the ultimate outsider in Heian Japan (folklore and superstition dictate all foxes are evil). For love, she dons the garment of humanity to woo her love. The tale, though, is told from the diaries of Kitsune - the fox woman of the title - her love Kaya no Yoshifuji and his wife Shikujo. The self-imposed exile Yoshifuji places upon himself and his family is to an old country estate; where he hopes to contemplate the embarassment of not attaining a government position in the capital. A polite enough lie, but in truth he wishes to probe the hole he feels in his life. His wife Shikujo has become a distant clockwork creature who has shielded herself from resentment and loneliness with the ten thousand polite and correct obligations of a wife. She prefers to use this perfection as a weapon rather than the more honest - and embarassing - passions of a lover. Into the illusions and reflections which are imploding Yoshifuji and Shikujo's marriage comes the recently-human fox woman, who in her direct manner wins over the heart of Yoshifuji. The fox-magic she works with her grandfather and the rest of her fox-family makes her a beautiful woman, attended by legions of silent, perfect servants, makes a fox-hole an opulent country manor, complete with content peasants who work the rice fields. The realization Kitsune is as much ensnared by her dreamlike world of eternal autumn as well as Yoshifuji is unexpected. Tragedy looms on the horizon, but I will not reveal much else of the plot. The prose is elegant and beautiful. The method of storytelling - from the diaries of the three protagonists - skillful. I would invite anyone to also become bewitched by the beauty of this fox-tale.

I had given up on reading most things labeled fantasy until a friend recommended to me Kij Johnson's The Fox Woman.

Kij gives us the best of literary fiction without the self-indulgent drivel, and the best of fantasy without inflicting upon us the constant repetition that is the staple of lesser authors.

Set in a fantastical medieval Japan, The Fox Woman tells a tale of self-transformation, of dream-chasing, of love both romantic and unconditional, of falls from grace and redemption, of sacrifice, and above all of human emotion and interaction, on a level that hits us deep in the gut and makes us shout, "Yes! I know that feeling!"

Although a fantasy, few stories are more true or more real than this.

The pillowbooks of Kitsune--the vixen, who desires to be a woman because she has fallen in love with the Japanese nobleman--of Shijuko his wife and of Yoshifuji, the object of the Kitsune's passion; form an enchanting fantasy, a fable of human and animal existence, posing the eternal existential questions: what it is to love? to be a woman? to be a man? to be a fox or a dog? This fantasy drew me into its wonderful web for a number of reasons: the language was exquisite, the fine poetry in the oriental manner was delicately woven into the story (a sure way to my reader's heart) and the underlying commentary upon the human condition wrought in contrast to that of the family of foxes who live under the Japanese country house achieved a rare novel with both style and story. Yes, animals, be they foxes, cats or dogs do weave their own commentary on the comings and goings of humans. I am not knowledgeable about medieval Japanese culture or literature, but it suspended my disbelief and drew me into an oriental world. I felt I was there in the Japanese countryside. I saw the robes, the fans, the paper walls. Those who would quibble with the Japan Kij Johnson creates should turn to the history books. This is literary fiction. I loved it.

This is a wonderfully poetic novel that is told in diary format from three sources; the fox girl, the man she loves, and his wife. All three have their own lives outside of each other, and that shows in the way that they deal with others. But at the same time they are inexplicably tied together, and the way that Kij Johnson handled this is superb. She doesn't rush into the triangle, but glides into it,a nd before long you are at that point without realizing it.

The characters undergo drastic changes through the course of the story, though some changes are more noticeable than others. The fox starts out as a just a fox, but gradually she not only physically morphs into a human, but becomes one mentally and emotionally. This transformation threatens to destroy her small family as she pulls them into her fantasy.

The man has a fascination with the foxes that is sending him further and further away from his wife. When he meets the fox-girl, he is overwhelmed by her spell and falls for her.

His wife has to deal with his increasing interest in the foxes and his waning interest with her, and this eventually sends her away from their country home and back to the city.

This is a story of love, magic, and in many ways, of loss. I recommend this book to anyone with an interest in some of the lesser known stories of Japan (upon which this is somewhat based), and to all who enjoy a good love story!

This novel ran into the same problem as James Clavell's Shogun: its main appeal lies in the descriptions of another--exotic--culture. If a reader is already familiar with that culture, then suddenly the book has to rely on its plot and characters like all the rest. And neither of these books excels outside of its depiction of a historical Japanese culture.

The characters were a mixed bag: some were interesting and multi-faceted in unusual ways. Others were boring the entire way through. Unfortunately, the three main characters who write the journals fall into the dull category.

The journal entry format had potential, but the author did not commit to the structure enough to make it succeed. Most of the time, the first few paragraphs or so would use appropriate structures, viewpoints, and vocabulary for a journal entry, and then Johnson would slip into a normal narrative format, hoping the reader would not notice. If you want to see the journal format done right, read We by Yevgeny Zamyatin: We (Modern Library Classics)

Johnson included a number of interesting and enjoyable events. I loved the meetings with Inari's messengers, or the descriptions of the Buddha's and Kannon's intervention.

My biggest problem: the main character, Kitsune, should not have been young and inexperienced. Frank Hamel, when speaking about mythical foxes in Japan, says that foxes have to be at least 100 (sometimes 50) years old in order to change into a human. Having her learn things at the same time as the reader, or even later, ruins all the magic of a mythical fox-woman spellbinding you in the night.

If you've read The Tale of Genji, or spent comparable amounts of time reading about the Heian period, you won't be charmed by this novel. If not, you may enjoy it as a fantasy-tinted window into an unfamiliar time and place.

When I picked up Fox Woman I had no idea what to expect from it. I had seen it on a friend's bookshelf and curiosity led me to order it. Inside I found a deep and beautiful story full of truth and pain. Before I finished the story I was drawn in by the incredible characterization and the simplicity using the different perspectives in diary format to define alternate views. While reading this book, I misplaced my copy and was so engrossed that I purchased another in order to finish it. While reading I feared how she was going to be able to end the book so as to not oversimplify, make it saccharine, or trite. All may fears were allayed and in the end I was satisfied that this book did not conclude so much as chose to stop sharing its story. It is one that should not be missed

This lyrical allegory is a must for anyone who has ever tried to be someone they are not in order to gain love, for anyone who has had to choose between two loves, for anyone who has had to fight to save their love. Written in a beautiful, poetic style reminiscent of Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, "The Fox Woman" captures the reader from the moment it begins.
Kij Johnson tells this love story entirely through the diary entries of the three main characters; each with their own unique perspective and voice. One would think that by doing this she would risk redundancy, and yet the overlaps are few and natural, serving only to connect the characters to each other and to the storyline.
Besides the unique, mystical vehicle she has chosen to deliver this allegory, Johnson's strength lies in her imagistic detail. Here is an example: "The rain has stopped, but the eaves still drip. Overhead, the spiderweb glistens in the moonlight that filters through the eave openings. The gossamer lines are almost too fine to see as anything but a lightening of the darkness."
Her language is exquisitely beautiful and yet also accessible. This strength, combined with the universality of the topic, is what makes it possible for the reader to leave their world and enter fully into the story; and in making that possible, Johnson weaves a fox magic of her own.