Customer Reviews

Foxspell

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Red foxes were brought to Australia in the nineteenth
century, dragged from their native land against their will.
Tod, a young Australian boy, was also dragged from
his native land against his will when his family moved
across the country to live with his grandmother. The
foxes survived in a hostile land; whether Tod can do the
same is the focus of this book.

Ms. Rubinstein paints Tod's family in vivid strokes, the
Australian landscape no less vividly. She brings the
supernatural elements into the story so subtly at first
that by the time the *really* unusual things start
happening, they blend right into the flow of the narrative.
Against this backdrop, Tod wrestles with the frustrations
of being displaced, of watching his family try to hold
together, and of being forced into a mold he doesn't fit
in school. The problems are familiar to any teenager, or
anyone who's ever been one.

Tod's struggles are mirrored by the local foxes. No
attempt is made to glamourize their lives -- they are
shot at and hunted by the local gangs, looked down upon
as pests and invaders by almost everyone, and hated by
the farmers. Yet they survive because they must.

Their lives and Tod's intersect when he buries a dead fox
he has found strung up on a fence. His respect earns him
a visit from a fox spirit, who offers him the chance to
become a wild fox. This escape from his troubles is very
attractive, at first, but he finds that his human ties are
not so easy to give up. His deliberations, and the
resolution of the book, are very well done.

The supernatural and the natural are strong forces in
"Foxspell." The natural elements are well-researched
and accurate (from Australian fauna to fox behavior), and
the supernatural is well-integrated and not too pervasive.
It leaves plenty of room for the human story. However, if
you have a particular aversion to either of these two
subject areas, this book is probably not for you.

Any review of this book would be incomplete without some
mention of the writing. Ms. Rubinstein's style is clear,
evocative, and powerful. She not only tells a good story,
but she tells it well. The subject matter may not appeal
to everyone, but if you like what I've written about in
this review, have no doubts that you will enjoy reading
"Foxspell."

In this story, Tod finds himself troubled by many things. when he compassionatly burries a fox in the ground, the fox spirit offers him a deal. that Tod can come perminatly Fox and escape the complications of the human world. As a fox, Tod loves every minute, but when he returns to his human form, he regrets everything.

The only bad thing about this book is that it is a little confusing at the end.

I thought this book was amazing. It's one of those books best read in a room by yourself. The characters are unique, the plot strange and twisting, and the book is never boring. I know some people complained about the last scene, but I think that any more writing would have taken away from the power, the darkness, of the scene. Read it. It's well worth the time.