The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo is about a female fox spirit, Snow, who wants to avenge the death of her child. In 1908, in Manchuria, a courtesan is found frozen to death in the doorway of a prominent restaurant. The shop owner fears that her death is a bad omen especially since rumor has been circling that it is the work of foxes. Foxes are believed to have the ability to trick and lure people into doing their bidding because they transform themselves into beautiful and alluring people.
Bao is an amateur detective that people hire when they want to find people. He has the ability to tell if someone is lying or if they are telling the truth. He was hired by the shopkeeper to find the dead woman’s identity so she could get a proper burial and not haunt his shop. Bao has always been intrigued by fox gods since he was a child. He is excited that he finally might get his chance to meet one now.
Snow is a fox spirit haunted by the death of her child. She is searching for the man responsible for her child’s death. She is traveling from northern China to Japan searching for the truth. Unknowingly on her trail Bao is determined to find out the truth behind the dead woman.
I found the book to be an entertaining read. It was filled with emotion and well-developed characters. While the book was predictable, I still found myself wanting to read what happened to the characters. I loved reading about the fox spirit mythologies, but I just wish the book had a quicker pace. I liked that the book was told from alternating points of view. I would be open to reading more books by the author.
