Mrs Fox (Faber Stories)

Sarah Hall was named one of the best young British writers by Granta. Her short story Mrs. Fox won the BBC National Short Story Award for 2013. The story portrays a man who is very attracted to his wife. His wife never expresses any unhappiness within their marriage, but then transfigures from woman to fox. It is an extremely strange turn of events, but slowly he comes to grip with the fact that his wife is no longer human and allows her to be free. After many months of depression, he goes for a walk and comes across her in the woods. Here he finds that she has given birth to a litter of fox pups. He is overcome with a sense of responsibility to ensure their protection and watches them grow from a distance. He still fantasizes about his wife returning (in human form). However, he rejects those notions because the thought of losing the fox, she has now become, is too much to bear. The storyline is very bizarre. However, upon interpretations, several meanings are available. One could see that there is a need for humans to return to a more naturalistic state of life. Humans need to do a better job maintaining and preserving wildlife because both the natural world and the human world need each other in order to thrive. In another sense, it solidifies the old saying “if you love something let it go.” Although he did not really want to let her go, he understood that he could not keep her “as a pet.” Perhaps he begins to wonder if that was how they had been living their lives. The ball he finds in her purse may suggest this. It is a very obvious analysis, but maybe she just needed to be free. Overall, this story shows the importance of understanding your partner’s deepest desires, highlighting the need for freedom and nature. Of course, due to the wildness, it will not really be everyone’s cup of tea.

A short story. It is weird, but well written and quite memorable.

This review is a pleasure to write because I feel that I am privileged to be reading the work of a writer who will be considered the premier author of our time. OK enough of the hagiography, and as Alfred E. Smith said,"Let's look at the facts." The facts being Sarah Hall's opus or in this case her short story "Mrs. Fox."Stylistically, there is a naturalism reminiscent of Jack London, Hart Crane, and of course Ernest Hemingway. It is easy to see that Ms. Hall is deeply influenced by and appreciative of her North Cumbrian roots and her adept use of the vocabulary and meter rivals the three aforementioned writers. She is that good. Based on just this, this would be considered a very good short story. Yet as with all great writers, she takes a tradition and builds upon it, takes it to a new level and transforms it to her artistic vision.Although I am hesitant to use the phrase "magical realism," because this work has surpassed this genre and has adapted its influence. Doing the work a great injustice, in brief it begins as a tale of the love a man feels for his wife with an intensity and a unique perspective that breathes new life into the short story (stop shaking your head, this isn't something from the "New Yorker," remember this is Cumbrian and Hall, not Cheever, Updike or Connecticut).Something strange happens to his wife; She is transformed into a fox, (no, no, not a Vogue cover babe) but a genuinered fox (Vulpes vulpes crucigera), while strolling through Arcadia with her beloved. This brief section exhibits a perfect action section that combines the action with a premonition that insinuates something more profound occurring.What next happens is an intense examination of their relationship past and current. What Ms. Hall says is importantand yet I am at a loss to say is whether how she says it is more important. Perhaps the point is mute.Sexual intensity, intense philosophical, spiritual love, desire, alienation bucolic musings yes, it is all their. Call it a determined examination of male female relationships and the writers take on it. If you are familiar with her other works and have appreciated them, then this is another example of her continual maturation. If you are the type who says "What have you done lately?" well, this will resoundingly answer you.I have only read this story twice and will revisit it in a month or two because great art always has deeper meanings that are experienced as you approach it again and again.

Hall's prose is always outstanding, and in this short book her skillful word choice and phrasing is concentrated. Worth reading each page twice to savor the elegant cleverness of her writing.

So where to start? This is a story about a woman who transforms into a fox and leaves her previous life behind. Her husband tries to keep her in the house but she wants to be outside. He visits her den often and discovers she has had cubs. He feels oddly protective of them but otherwise continues his life as per before.I found the story rather bizarre and struggled to understand what the author was trying to get across. Was the whole transformation into a fox symbolising that a woman should never be trapped and if she wants to grow/out grow her husband that she should be allowed to? … And that when she does shed her old life, you’ll see a woman that’s transformed and happier?Or perhaps, was it symbolising something similar but from the opposite view point, i.e. in order to accept his wife leaving him, does the husband need to soften his pain by imagining the transformation?OR… is it as simple as Hall just chose to write about a woman transforming into a fox?AND – was she pregnant before the transformation, i.e. are the cubs in fact the husband’s children?It’s got me flummoxed. I’m no closer to understanding this story BUT oddly I didn’t hate it. In fact, I was utterly enchanted by the story from the very first sentence to the final one. Hall’s writing style is absorbing & atmospheric, with the short sentences making your eyes race along through it all.So despite my confusion on what the message (Keith Lemon moment – anyone?!) of this story was, I did find it enjoyable.Oh and FYI, the first few pages are a little saucy… just putting that out there!

Pretty trifling, after all the promotion and reviews. This one's off to Oxfam.

A thought provoking but beautifully written short piece that speaks through less words - it's a story I will mull some time over

Really enjoyed this unusual short story.

Download fine, story beautifully written