This is a difficult, sad, beautiful, simplistically powerful novel. There is Peter, a boy without a mother who loves his pet fox. There is Pax, a fox who loves his boy. There is a father who is a soldier and war is coming. Pax and Peter are separated, with each facing a kind of crucible. As they fight to get back to one another there are many stories about how war destroys not only land but living creatures great and small, in body and in spirit. At its core, this is a book about the pointlessness and destructiveness of war. The book is symbolism, metaphor and allegory. The place and time are ambiguous. The time period could be now or then, the location here or there. The generic setting is meant to let the reader focus on the voices -- those of Peter and Pax, as they grow to see a world they never expected. For any animal lover, this novel pulls at the heart-strings. The conclusion, one which makes sense yet is hard, will leave you reaching for the Kleenex. The story ends with many questions about the future. Again, this harkens to the uncertainty of war, the "not knowing" what may come. A saving grace in the darkness seems to be the connections we have with one another, how we are separate but can learn to care, learn to love. It is easy to see why this one made the National Book Award Longlist and is a New York Times Bestseller. A good read, with an important message.
No comments:
Post a Comment