Fox & I
by
31/99
Critics' Rating Index
22/99
Readers' Rating Index
n/a
Scholars' Citation Index
84/99
Volume of Reviews
83/99
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About This Book
An "extraordinary" (Oprah Daily) memoir about the friendship between a solitary woman and a wild fox. When Catherine Raven finished her PhD in biology, she built herself a tiny cottage on an isolated plot of land in Montana. She was as emotionally isolated as she was physically, but she viewed the house as a way station, a temporary rest stop where she could gather her nerves and fill out applications for what she hoped would be a real job that would help her fit into society. In the meantime, she taught remotely and led field classes in nearby Yellowstone National Park. Then one day she realized that a mangy-looking fox was showing up on her property every afternoon at 4:15 p.m. She had never had a regular visitor before. How do you even talk to a fox? She brought out her camping chair, sat as close to him as she dared, and began reading to him from The Little Prince. Her scientific training had taught her not to anthropomorphize animals, yet as she grew to know him, his personality revealed itself and they became friends. From the fox, Catherine learned the single most important thing about loneliness: we are never alone when we are connected to the natural world. Friends, however, cannot save each other from the uncontained forces of nature. Fox and I is a poignant and remarkable tale of friendship, growth, and coping with inevitable loss—and of how that loss can be transformed into meaning. It is both a timely tale of solitude and belonging as well as a timeless story of one woman whose immersion in the natural world will change the way we view our surroundings—each tree, weed, flower, stone, or fox.
Reviews
"profoundly touching ..."
"Along with reverently describing her furry friend—who had a "face so innocent that you would have concluded that he never stalked a bluebird, let alone dismembered one"—Raven writes poetically about the flora ("my sun-worshipping tenants") and fauna around her."
"A self-described 'pathologically private' person, Ms."
"With a scientific depth of examination accompanied by lyrical language, Raven explores the development of the bond between the fox and herself as well as the natural habitat surrounding her home, including the responsibilities of landownership ..."
"This quietly poetic memoir describes the somewhat meandering paths that Raven and Fox, a yearling male and the runt of the litter, traversed to achieve their unusual partnership ..."
"By the end of Fox & I, I found myself deeply lonely for the kind of belonging Raven found on the land."
"She's a superb nature writer, who also delves into cultural topics, such as the fox icons found in Inari temples in Japan ..."
"in some parts of the book, harsh certainties dominate where some nuances would be welcome ..."
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